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AN EIGHT DAYS' RETREAT 



AN EIGHT DAYS' 
RETREAT 

FOR 

RELIGIOUS 



BY 
HENRY A. GABRIEL, S.J. 



FREIBURG (Baden) 
GERMANY 



ST. LOUIS, MO., 1914 

Published by B. Herder 

17 South Broadway 

68 Great Russell Str. 
LONDON, W. C. 



•GLo, 

i ^/4 



1MPR1M1 POTEST 



J. A. Rocklif, S. J., 

Praep. Prov. Calif. 



NIHIL 0B8TAT 

Sti. Ludovici, die 7. Sept. 191^ 



IMPRIMATUR 

StL Ludovici, die 8. Sept. 191% 



F. O. Holweck, 
Censor Librorum. 



^Joannes J. Glennon, 



Archiepiscopus 

Sti. Ludovici. 



Copyright, 191% 

by 

Joseph Gummersbach 

All rights reserved 
Printed in U. S. A. 



//y* 



VAIL-BALLOU COMPANY 

■ INQHAMTON AND NEW YORK 

OEC 26 1914 

*>CI.A391150 



^ 



PREFATORY NOTE 

To claim much originality for a work like this, 
which is little more than an adaptation of the Spirit- 
ual Exercises of St. Ignatius, would be obviously un- 
warranted, while to mention in detail all the sources 
from which it has been derived in the course of a score 
of years would be next to impossible. However, I 
gladly acknowledge that, besides being under great 
obligation to many members of the Society who have 
labored successfully to explain and illustrate the won- 
derful little book of our Holy Founder, particularly 
to Fathers Roothaan, Meschler, Denis, Verbeke, von 
Hummelauer, and Nonell, I am largely indebted to 
the well-known work of Rev. M. J. Ollivier, O. P., 
for the descriptive portion of several meditations on 
the Passion. The text of the Spiritual Exercises has, 
of course, been extensively quoted throughout the 
work. 

The Author. 
Santa Clara, Cal. 

Feast of the Annunciation, 1914. 



PRAYERS 

Before the Points. 

Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy faithful 
and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. 

V. Pour forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created. 

R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. 

Let us pray. — O God, Who by the light of the Holy 
Spirit didst instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant 
that by the same Holy Spirit we may relish what is 
right and may ever rejoice in His consolations. 
Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Hail Mary. 

O Sweetest Heart of Jesus, we implore, 
That we may love Thee daily more and more. 

After the Points. 

We give Thee thanks, O Almighty God, for all Thy 
benefits, Who livest and reignest world without end. 
Amen. 

Hail Mary. 

Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love. 
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation. 

ANIMA CHRISTI. 

Soul of Christ, sanctify me! 

Body of Christ, save me! 

Blood of Christ, inebriate me! 

Water from the side of Christ, wash me! 

Passion of Christ, strengthen me! 

O Good Jesus, hear me! 

Within Thy wounds, hide me! 

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee! 

From the malicious enemy defend me! 

In the hour of my death, call me! 

And bid me come to Thee; 

That with Thy Saints I may praise Thee 

For ever and ever. Amen. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Introduction 1 

FIRST DAY 2 

The Right Disposition 3 

The Foundation, First Part 14 

Our Spiritual Duties 26 

The Foundation, Second Part 42 

SECOND DAY 51 

The Triple Sin .52 

My Personal Sins . . 69 

Emendation of Life 81 

Sin, Inordination, and Worldliness 91 

THIRD DAY 99 

Hell 100 

The Kingdom of Christ 112 

The Religious State , 123 

The Incarnation 136 

FOURTH DAY 147 

The Hidden Life at Nazareth 148 

The Stay in the Temple 159 

The Motives of Humility 170 

Two Standards 179 

FIFTH DAY 192 

The Three Classes of Men 193 

The Temptation in the Desert 203 

The Triple Fruit of Humility 213 



CONTEXTS 

PAGE 

The Tempest on the Lake 227 

SIXTH DAY 236 

The Conversion of Maby Magdalen 237 

The Three Degrees of Humility . 247 

The Holy Eucharist 257 

The Last Supper 267 

SEVENTH DAY 276 

The Agony and the Betrayal 277 

The Scourging and the Crowning with Thorns .... 287 

The Holy Mass 297 

The Rejection and the Crucifixion 310 

EIGHTH DAY 320 

The Resurrection 321 

The Ascension 330 

Fraternal Charity .. 338 

Divine Love 350 

APPENDIX 365 

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin 367 

The Badge of Perseverance 378 

Death 384 

Books Recommended for Retreat Reading 394 



AN EIGHT DAYS' RETREAT 



During this Holy Retreat, consider frequently 
the Adorable Person op Jesus Christ, presenting 
Himself before you in His Incomparable Majesty 
and showing to you hls wounded heart, wholly 
Inflamed with Love, whilst addressing to you 
imploringly these tender words : " my child, give 
me thy heart." 



A. M. D. G. 



" MY CHILD, GIVE ME THY HEART." 



FIRST DAY 



special patron : St. Michael. 

motto: "Lord, who is like to Thee?"— Ps. 34:10. 

spirit : Humility on account of my Nothingness. 

reading: Imitation; Bk. I, C. 1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 20. 
Bk. II, C. 5, 6. 
Bk. Ill, C. 1, 9, 10, 25, 40. 



Begin the Retreat with great earnestness, thorough 
recollection, and humble confidence, generously offer- 
ing yourself to God that He may dispose of you accord- 
ing to His most Holy Will. 



THE RIGHT DISPOSITION 

Introductory Remarks. — In St. Luke 19 :41-44, we 
read: "And when Jesus drew near, seeing the city, 
He wept over it saying; ' If thou also [like my true 
disciples] hadst known, and that [even] in this thy 
day [on which I, thy Lord and Savior have come to 
teach, convert, and save thee,] the things that are for 
thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes. 
For the days shall come upon thee, when thy ene- 
mies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee 
round, and straiten thee on every side, and beat thee 
flat to the ground, and they shall not leave a stone 
upon a stone, because thou hadst not known the time 
of thy visitation ! > " God Almighty is towards each 
individual soul, towards every single human being, 
more loving than the most devoted father, mother, 
or friend, infinitely more so. He is ceaselessly 
watching over each one of us with the most tender 
care, the most patient solicitude, intending and ar- 
ranging even the smallest details of our lives, for 
our temporal happiness no less than for our eternal 
bliss. Oh! let us not resist His unspeakable love, 
let us not disappoint His mysterious longing, let us 
not compel Him by our ingratitude to withdraw from 
us the outward protection of His Admirable Provi- 
dence or the inward guidance of His Holy Spirit. 

The Retreat is a time of rest from study and 
care, but also a time of exertion and prayer. Yes, 
especially a time of prayer, of earnest, whole- 



4 FIRST DAY 

souled, humble, confident supplication for light and 
strength, crying out to our Lord, like the blind man 
of Jericho, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on 
me." Yet we should avoid nervous strain, not work 
ourselves up into an unnatural or hysteric condition. 
We should not take it for granted that every fault 
and every defect, mentioned in the course of this 
Eetreat, must necessarily be ours. Reason and re- 
flection are never to be discarded. It would be well, 
with due permission, to take some extra repose if 
really needed in order to keep awake during the Med- 
itations, but by all means we should take plenty of 
fresh air during free time and sufficient nourishment 
at our meals. 

The Retreat, when made in the old and approved 
way, consists chiefly of a series of Spiritual Exer- 
cises, arranged by St. Ignatius Loyola ; exercises that 
will teach us how to conquer ourselves and to reg- 
ulate our lives for the greater glory of God, in other 
words, how to rid ourselves of all sin and inordi- 
nation in order to accomplish perfectly the Divine 
Will. The Meditations form the main work of the 
Retreat. Even while preparing the Points we should 
raise our heart to God in humble aspirations, but 
afterwards we should put forth all our energy to se- 
cure the desired fruit by fervent supplication. Next 
in importance to the Meditations come the daily 
Examens of Conscience, which may very profitably 
be devoted to a thorough review of our past lives and 
especially of the last year. The other exercises, 
Holy Mass, Communion, Visits, Office, Rosary, 
should all be directed to the immediate object of the 
Retreat, which is our thorough self -conquest, our last- 
ing amendment, our complete conversion. But we 
should not tire ourselves with a multiplicity of vocal 



THE RIGHT DISPOSITION 5 

prayers. The spiritual reading indicated for each 
day is left entirely free, except the study of our Rules 
and Customs. As to Holy Communion, all can re- 
ceive every day; and this will certainly prove very 
helpful to stir up in our heart a sincere desire of 
correcting our faults and of advancing in virtue, pro- 
vided we strive to make a better preparation than 
usual as well as a more fervent thanksgiving. 
Indeed, Holy Communion is one of the best means to 
profit by the Retreat, and hence is to be recom- 
mended most emphatically. Yet, at the same time, 
any one is free not to receive from motives of humil- 
ity or for reasons of convenience. While each one 
should pray for his own special needs, he should 
nevertheless remember also those of others, that the 
entire Community may reap the most abundant fruit 
from these Exercises. 

Subject of this Meditation. — The Disposition with 
which we should enter upon this Retreat. 

Composition of Place. — To see myself kneeling or 
prostrate in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament 
and hearing these words issue from the tabernacle: 
" Come to Me all ye that labor and are heavy bur- 
dened, and I will refresh you." 

Petition for the Grace which I do actually Need 
and should ardently Implore. — That I may enter upon 
this Retreat, that I may accept this most loving in- 
invitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with the best 
possible Disposition, so as to make it better than any 
previous Retreat, and thus to render it the beginning 
of a life of real Holiness. 

First Point. I should Look Forward to the Re- 
treat with Desire and Longing. 

This Desire ought to be Sincere and Earnest, in 



6 FIRST DAY 

view of the great and manifold dangers arising from 
the Flesh, the World, and the Devil: — my natural 
habits of thoughtlessness, precipitation, restlessness; 
and still worse, my deep-rooted passions, pride, sensu- 
ality, selfishness: the contagious atmosphere, the 
downward influence, the continual allurements of the 
World: the past victories, the present temptations, 
and the future assaults of the Devil. Perhaps I have 
already had a sad experience of my weakness, per- 
haps even yielded to doubts about my Vocation; but 
in any case I must not be deluded by a false security. 
I should, then, welcome this Retreat, with great 
earnestness at least from this moment. " Remem- 
ber," says our Adorable Savior, " that Satan has asked 
to sift you like wheat, and that the Devil is going 
about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may de- 
vour. Yes, you especially, Religious, that have con- 
secrated your lives entirely to My holy Service; you 
most especially, who left the world before knowing 
its corruption and entered the convent with souls un- 
sullied by mortal sin." Briefly, as I have to save 
my soul at any cost and in spite of every obstacle, 
my Desire of the Retreat ought to be most Sincere 
and Earnest. 

But this Desire should also be Intense and Ardent. 
For the Retreat is an extraordinary Divine Favor: 
singular inasmuch as it is granted to relatively very 
few; entirely unmerited by me but rather very much 
demerited; and most precious, being productive of 
true peace of soul on earth and conducive to my eter- 
nal bliss in heaven. If made properly, these Spirit- 
ual Exercises will enlighten me on the motives that 
should animate me and the principles that are to 
guide me in the Service of God; they will arm me 
against the enemies by which I am surrounded and 



THE RIGHT DISPOSITION 7 

the hindrances which I have to overcome. These 
same Exercises have filled the Church with fervent 
members, the convents with holy Religious, and 
Heaven with blissful Souls. Witness their effect in 
Bl. Peter Faber, in St. Francis Xavier, in Bl. Ed- 
mund Campion, and hundreds of other Jesuits; in 
thousands of Confessors and Martyrs, Priests, Re- 
ligious, and Laymen. Did I myself not experience 
something similar in my first Retreat well made? 
Every time I go through these Exercises, they should 
cause also in me a thorough transformation of mind, 
a real conversion of heart. Who knows but this may 
be for me the last time. 

My Desire should nevertheless be Joyous and Glad- 
some. As a matter of fact, the Retreat imposes no 
special burden; after the mental work is done, noth- 
ing remains but to pour out my soul in prayer; and 
even as to this, God Himself will do by far the greater 
part, if only I let Him, if only I open my mind to His 
light, if only I yield my heart to His grace. Besides, 
if I strive to do my little share generously from the 
start, His Divine consolations will abundantly com- 
pensate me for the extra fatigue, self-restraint, and 
seclusion. But even if I should not be favored with 
any sensible fervor, yet all is to be done in the spirit 
of sweetness, that is, with Humility and Confidence. 
For I am not alone, I am not fighting single-handed ; 
however unworthy, I am a member of a numerous 
Religious Institute ; more than this, I am a child of the 
Holy Catholic Church, militant on earth, suffering 
in purgatory, and triumphant in Heaven. They are 
all praying and interceding for me ; the fervent faith- 
ful, the Holy Souls, the Blessed Saints and Angels, 
and what is specially comforting, the Immaculate 
Virgin Mary herself, the Great Mother of God. 



8 FIRST DAY 

Second Point. Dispositions to be Avoided on 
Entering upon the Retreat. 

Among the Dispositions to be Avoided because 
they would hamper the efficacy and destroy the ob- 
ject of the work on which we are entering, we should 
particularly guard against the following. 

Discouragement with the Results of our past Re- 
treats and Disappointment at the Failure of our good 
Resolutions. — " What is the use? " we may be tempted 
to exclaim : " I have made already so many Re- 
treats, and I am still as imperfect as ever, if in- 
deed not worse, while the Religious Life instead 
of becoming easier seems to be getting harder 
every year." One might just as well argue with 
himself after this manner: "What is the use 
of eating and drinking? After so many thou- 
sands of meals I am still no stronger than when 
I was in my twenties, in fact, I am growing 
weaker and more sickly every day." Life is a race 
for Heaven. When we set out on a long excursion, 
everything is easy and pleasant in the coolness and 
brightness of the early morning; but how different 
things appear, when we plod along weary, thirsty, 
and footsore, in the hot and dusty afternoon. So it 
has been ordained by our Heavenly Father, that, as 
we grow older in years, sincerer in humility, and 
stronger in love, our difficulties, our sufferings, and 
even our temptations should increase in the same 
proportion, in order that thus we may always be able 
to increase our merits and to advance towards Per- 
fection. There is no progress without hindrance, 
just as there is no life without death. As to our 
former Resolutions, we should bear in mind that we 
took them, not to be kept unfailingly, nor to be 
broken constantly, but in order that we might learn, 



THE RIGHT DISPOSITION 9 

pray, and labor to carry them out. Hence we have 
no reason to be discouraged on account of the past, 
only we should profit by our experience. Let us com- 
bine the buoyant energy and generous enthusiasm of 
earlier years with the sincere self-distrust and sturdy 
determination of riper age. 

Listlessness and Routinism. — Just as we are all 
subject to Discouragement, so we are all inclined to- 
wards Stagnation. Some Religious do not seem to 
take the Retreat seriously till the third or fourth day. 
Their mind and heart are so engrossed with pet crea- 
tures, recreation, study, classwork, business-matters, 
that they lose the first and most important part of the 
Retreat in Listlessness, Frivolity, and Distraction. 
" This is the hour for us to rise from sleep." We must 
shake off this spiritual sloth, this baneful lethargy, 
and get to work at once. We must by all means make 
a good start and give ourselves wholly to solitude, si- 
lence, recollection, application, and punctuality. 
To lose our time is silly, to despise the grace of God 
is sinful. Other Religious, again, lead an existence 
that is largely mechanical and almost purely natural, 
in one word, Routinary. They perform their duties, 
either because they have to, or because they like to, 
superficially, without any desire of perfection. To 
practise some extra penance, to make an extra visit 
to the Blessed Sacrament, seldom or never enters 
their head. Such as these are likely to pass the en- 
tire eight days of the Retreat without making the 
least exertion. Unless we resolutely cast off this 
fatal Routinism, we cannot hope either for consola- 
tion in these Spiritual Exercises or for perseverance 
in our Vocation. " Because thou art neither hot nor 
cold, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth." 
Selfishness, Worldliness, and Pride. — There are 



10 FIRST DAY 

also found Religious who enter upon the annual Re- 
treat with a somewhat uneasy conscience, and their 
main object is to recover peace of soul by means of a 
general confession at the end of the second or third 
day. Once that is over, they flag in their exertions 
and the rest of the Retreat possesses little or no in- 
terest for them. Their Selfishness renders them 
spiritually short-sighted. These persons forget that 
the only way to insure permanent peace of conscience 
is to work with might and main at their sanctification, 
at the mortification of their unruly passions, at the 
imitation of Christ our Lord and His Saints. Again, 
though their number is small, one may some- 
times meet Religious infected with Worldliness, who 
entertain a more or less definite notion that sanctity 
is not for them, that holiness is somewhat out of 
place in our modern business-world. But the worst 
Disposition of all would be a spirit of Pride prompt- 
ing a Religious to think that he has no need of 
so much prayer, or to take it for granted that he can- 
not learn anything from this Retreat, or even to criti- 
cise, reject, and condemn the exhortations, counsels, 
and warnings of the Director. Without making much 
account of his natural qualifications, we should listen 
to his words with humble docility and great eager- 
ness. Unless we entertain a supernatural regard for 
the Priest appointed to guide us through this Re- 
treat, we shall derive from it but little fruit, even if 
he were as learned and holy as St. Alphonsus Liguori 
or St. Ignatius Loyola. 

In conclusion, then, discouragement and disap- 
pointment; listlessness and routinism; selfishness, 
worldliness, and pride ; — these are the Evil Disposi- 
tions I must Guard Against, by vivid realization of 
my Spiritual Needs and by fervent prayer for the 



THE RIGHT DISPOSITION 11 

Divine Assistance, if I wish to make a really good 
Retreat. How should I wish to have made this Re- 
treat, if it were to be my last? That is the way I will 
strive to make it, with the grace of God. 

Third Point. The One Essential Disposition Re- 
quired to Begin the Retreat Perfectly. 

This most Desirable Disposition is within the reach 
of all. It consists in the Firm Determination to 
make during these few days all possible progress, to 
reap from these Spiritual Exercises the greatest pos- 
sible benefit. The Holy Founder of Clairvaux, in the 
early period of his Religious Life, used to spur himself 
on with this question : " Bernard, for what purpose 
did you come here? " Of all occasions none surely 
can be more appropriate than the present one to ask 
myself after the same manner : " Why did I forsake 
the world, my relatives, my home, my earthly pros- 
pects? Why did I become a Religious? " All I need 
just now is the manly resolve to enter upon the Re- 
treat this very instant, with my whole heart and soul, 
with all my energy of body and mind, occupied with 
nothing else but the work of my salvation and sanc- 
tification, and embracing generously whatever incon- 
venience or weariness it may entail. If, however, I 
fear the opposition of Nature and the molestation of 
Satan, it would be well to forestall these difficulties 
by performing this evening a little act of penance. 
For I must remember, this Determination is Abso- 
lutely Required to make the Retreat. Without it, in- 
deed, it were useless to begin. 

But if I am really determined to make the great- 
est possible progress, to reap from this Retreat all the 
fruit I can, I must be ready for any sacrifice that 
God in His Wisdom and Love may demand. Hence 



12 FIRST DAY 

this Firm Determination conceived in my inmost 
heart, should find its natural expression in a Sincere 
Act of Self -Oblation to God my Lord, that, especially 
during this Retreat, He may deign to dispose of me 
entirely as He pleases ; — a humble and fervent offer- 
ing of my body and my soul, but particularly of my 
own will, so apt to go astray to my own injury and 
misery, while God can will only what is good, my 
peace here and my bliss hereafter. All the advan- 
tages, therefore, will be for myself; though not for 
myself alone. No. For on this Retreat will depend 
not only my own sanctification and salvation, but 
also, according to the inscrutable designs of God, the 
sanctification and salvation of many others. 

I ought, then, to make this offering with great 
Alacrity, considering that, in spite of my many in- 
fidelities, He should allow me, invite me, nay, even 
command me to make this holy Retreat; with bound- 
less Confidence, for though " I can do nothing of my- 
self," especially nothing that is hard to human 
nature, "yet I can do all things in Him that 
strengthens me ; " with the utmost Generosity, know- 
ing that the more liberal one shows himself towards 
the Divine Majesty, so much the more liberal he shall 
also find God towards himself. Since God has been 
so Good, so Loving, so Merciful towards me all along, 
while I was so niggardly, so ungrateful, so faithless 
towards Him, what favors will He not shower down 
upon me, if I really give myself to Him by this Firm 
Determination and Total Self -Oblation? 

Colloquy with our Dear Lord in the Adorable Sac- 
rament, saying to each of us ; " Come to Me all ye 
that labor and are heavy burdened, and I will refresh 
you," and adding with Infinite Condescension and 



THE RIGHT DISPOSITION 13 

Incomprehensible Love ; " My child, give Me thy 
heart." I will beg, beseech, implore, conjure Him, 
by the sufferings of His Immaculate Mother and also 
my Heavenly Mother, Mary, that during this Retreat, 
every day, every hour, every moment, I may live 
wholly with Him and for Him, after her most ad- 
mirable and perfect example, in silence, solitude, and 
application. I will conclude with the Our Father. 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 

Introductory Remarks. — If our past Ketreats 
have sometimes failed to produce any lasting fruit, 
this was probably owing to one or other of two 
causes. Either we applied ourselves during the first 
two or three days only, or else we began to apply our- 
selves only after the first two or three days. In any 
case such failure has presumably been due to our 
neglecting and resisting, to some extent, the grace 
of God. This time let us enter upon the Retreat with 
the Right Disposition; namely, an Earnest Desire, 
or rather a Firm Determination to derive from these 
Spiritual Exercises the Greatest Possible Benefit, to 
get out of them All the Good we Can. 

Subject of this Meditation. — " The Principle and 
Foundation ; " namely, that principle, that simple 
and evident truth, which forms the foundation of the 
whole spiritual life, of all asceticism: a supreme 
maxim for the intellect and at the same time a solid 
basis for the will. " Man was created to praise, rever- 
ence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to 
save his soul ; and the other things on the face of the 
earth were created for man's sake, in order to aid him 
in the prosecution of the end for which he was 
created." 



Composition of Place. — To see heaver 
above me and hell yawning under my feet, 



heaven opened 
and my- 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 15 

self placed on this earth halfway between heaven 
and hell, saying to myself : " For all eternity I shall 
either be in heaven enjoying the bliss of God, or else 
in hell suffering the torments of the damned ; and it 
depends on me alone, which of these two conditions 
will be my lot within a few years, perhaps within a 
few months, weeks, or days; it depends on me alone 
whether I am to gain so great a good or to incur so 
great an evil." — How true! How certain! How 
appalling ! 

Petition. — What is the particular need of my soul 
with regard to this awful alternative? Light to 
know clearly, to realize intimately the supreme im- 
portance of this affair — my salvation and sanctifica- 
tion — as well as strength to adopt resolutely all the 
means that will most surely bring it to a successful 
issue. This, then, I must implore with all the energy 
of my being, with the utmost earnestness and fervor. 

First Point. The End of Man in This Life. 

God Created Me. — Let me briefly recall the Exist- 
ence of God, His Infinite Perfection, His Absolute 
Sovereignty. By a free act of His Will, guided by 
Supreme Wisdom, He made me out of nothing; my 
body, indirectly, through my parents and ancestors 
back to Adam and Eve and even to the beginning of 
the physical universe; my soul, directly, only a few 
years ago. Without God I should not exist. Of my- 
self I am sheer nothingness. He created me to His 
own image and likeness, which is found especially in 
my soul: a spiritual and immortal being, endowed 
with a mind capable of knowing truth, of having cer- 
tainty, and under the necessity of accepting truth as 
soon as sufficiently manifested; and endowed with a 



16 FIRST DAY 

will capable of loving goodness, free to determine its 
own action, yet under the necessity of ever striving 
after happiness. 

My whole soul, consequently, is created capable 
of making progress, of being more and more perfected 
while here on earth. This present existence, there- 
fore, is, as it were, but the first day of my creation, 
it is only the dawn of my life; and actually, at every 
moment, I am preserved and sustained by the same 
creative act of Almighty God. Evidently, by the 
very origin and essence of my being, I entirely be- 
long to God, much more, incomparably more than a 
vessel belongs to the potter who made it; I com- 
pletely depend on God, incomparably more than any 
slave could depend on his master. God is the Sov- 
ereign Lord and Absolute Master of my life, of my 
body, of my soul, of my senses, of my faculties, of 
everything that in any sense can be called mine. I 
am His servant, His possession. How noble, then, is 
my origin! What an immense elevation! For of 
myself I am nothing, and without God I should still 
be nothing. 

God's Motive in Creating Me. — God created me by 
an infinitely wise and absolutely free choice. Not hav- 
ing the slightest need of me, He created me out of 
pure love. Yet, though God created me freely, He 
did so, of course, for a definite purpose. He created 
me for Himself. In what sense? As the infinitely 
Skilful Artist, He could not create me except for His 
own Extrinsic Glory to be attained in the perfection 
of my mind by knowledge, of my will by love, and of 
my whole being by happiness. He created me neces- 
sarily for Himself, not because of any deficiency in 
Himself, but because of His Supreme Excellence, His 
Ineffable Goodness, that I might reflect and manifest 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 17 

His own Unlimited Perfection, in my mind, in my 
will, and in my whole being. This, then, is my 
Ultimate End. 

God also supplied me with all the means to work 
out this sublime purpose, and the use of these means 
constitutes my Proximate End in this life. In other 
words, I have been placed in this world, that I might 
more and more perfect in myself the Image and Like- 
ness of God : that with my mind I might Praise Him ; 
acknowledge Him, study His Divine Attributes, in- 
vestigate His Gracious Designs, and at the same time 
realize my manifold limitations, my own nothingness : 
that with my will I might Revere Him; love His 
Transcendent Beauty and Infinite Holiness, submit 
and conform myself in all things to His Fatherly 
Providence, and especially worship Him by faith, 
hope, and charity : that with my whole being I might 
Serve Him; accomplish His Adorable Will in all 
things, at all times, under all circumstances, as in- 
telligently and affectionately as possible, whether it 
be expressed by way of Commandment, or Counsel, 
or Example. 

I am, then, on earth to fulfil the office of a Heavenly 
Spirit; I am even now to exercise what is afterwards 
to constitute my eternal bliss. My entire existence 
is to be one of loving adoration, of unreserved dedi- 
cation and irrevocable consecration of my mind, my 
will, and my whole being to God. — Here we may note 
how Prayer combines Praise, Reverence, and Serv- 
ice. We cannot do more for the Glory of God than 
by Prayer, and all the rest is useless, except it be 
preceded, accompanied, and followed by Prayer. 
Prayer should prompt, animate, and fructify all we 
do. It is often only when through sickness or old 
age we are incapacitated for other duties, that we 



18 FIRST DAY 

begin to lead really useful lives by Prayer. With 
this in mind, St. Paul says : " Pray without ceasing." 

A Matter of Paramount Importance. — Praise, 
Reverence, and Service, — this alone can make me 
truly great and noble; this is to be my only occupa- 
tion, my only care, my only joy, my one absorbing 
thought. This is the only thing I am made for, 
namely, to know, to love, and to serve God. No 
nobler End can be conceived for the creature, it is 
common to men and Angels, it is the End of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, " the Handmaid of the Lord," 
the End of Christ our Savior " the Servant of God." 
Again, this End is essential and supreme, to which 
everything else in man ought to be subordinated. 
Whatever, therefore, is done in keeping with this End, 
is wise, good, and honorable; whatever is done apart 
from this End, is foolish, bad, and disgraceful. 
Everybody knows how sacred a thing it is to be under 
a moral obligation. What should we think of a per- 
fidious man, of a husband, a soldier, a servant that 
proves false to his main duties? What then should 
we think of one who, repudiating the essential alle- 
giance he owes to God his Creator, says, " I will not 
serve"? What duty can there be more sacred than 
this one, which is the sole foundation of every other 
duty? 

Hence, no wealth or health, no exterior or interior 
endowment, except in some way furthering the serv- 
ice I owe to God, has for me any real value ; it would 
only contribute to my greater misery. No thought 
however sublime, no desire however noble, no work 
however brilliant, no action however efficient, no 
enterprise however grand, should ever occupy me 
even for one instant, unless positively according with 
the Divine Will and actually tending to the Divine 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 19 

Glory. How diligently, therefore, I should strive to 
eliminate all trashy thoughts, all worldly desires, all 
disorderly words and actions, which flow inevitably 
from a vagrant mind, an unstable will, and an un- 
disciplined body. 

Such, then, is Direct Praise, Reverence, and Serv- 
ice. But there is also a Praise, Reverence, and Serv- 
ice that may be called Indirect, which consists in 
acknowledging God, loving God, and serving God, in 
our neighbor as His representative by Charity, and 
especially in our Superiors as His vicegerents by 
Obedience. In a certain sense this Indirect Praise, 
Reverence, and Service is more practical, because we 
do not see God, but we do see our fellow men. In 
fact, no one can fail to observe that Obedience, de- 
manding as it does the complete sacrifice, the con- 
tinual consecration of our mind, our will, and our 
whole being, truly combines the loftiest Praise, the 
deepest Reverence, and the best Service. On the 
other hand, if instead of esteeming, cherishing, and 
assisting our neighbor, if instead of revering, loving, 
and obeying our Superior, we have been contemp- 
tuous, hateful, and rebellious, have thought, spoken, 
and done evil against these special representatives 
and actual vicegerents of Almighty God; we can 
readily infer from this what has been our Direct 
Praise, Reverence, and Service. 

As a Religious, I may consider, besides, that I owe 
Praise, Reverence, and Service, in the spirit of my 
holy Institute, that I should practise Prayer, Charity, 
and Obedience in accordance with my Rules. To this 
well-defined Praise, Reverence, and Service, I have 
bound myself by the Vows ; which is certainly a great 
grace, enabling me to work unceasingly at my own 
sanctification, at my own perfection, at God's 



20 FIEST DAY 

Greater Glory. Hence how highly I should esteem 
my Vocation. 

In conclusion, I am not created to have my own 
way, to follow my whims, to do as I please, to be my 
own master. To do anything apart from or without 
regard to the Holy Will of God is inordinate, be- 
cause it is beside my one only purpose in life ; but to 
do something against the Adorable Will of God is 
sinful. Evidently, I must shun and hate not only 
sin, but also inordination, which leads to sin. If an 
object does not answer its purpose, we call it use- 
less and throw it aside or else destroy it. Similarly, 
if a man does not fulfil the End for which God made 
him, — the only End for which God could make 
him, — that man will be cast out as useless into utter 
darkness, into everlasting fire. Here, let me stir up 
sincere regret and confusion for the past, make a 
generous resolve for the future, and renew my self- 
dedication. 

Second Point. My Proximate End in the Next 
Life. 

My Service is to Benefit Myself. — Among men the 
service rendered by an employee or an inferior is for 
the benefit of the employer or the superior. The con- 
trary happens when we serve God. No creature, in 
fact, can by its exertion afford Him any intrinsic 
utility, for in Himself He is infinitely rich and good 
and happy. But God desires us to labor in His serv- 
ice that He may reward us, that He may bestow upon 
us as a merited recompense the Eternal Felicity of 
Heaven. And the more excellent our Service, the 
greater also will be our Kecompense. There are, we 
may say, three degrees in the Divine Service. Or- 
dinary Service goes only so far as not to break any 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 21 

Commandment that is binding under pain of mortal 
sin. Better Service, of course, would be given by 
avoiding also venial sin. But the Best Service that 
can be rendered to God consists in accomplishing His 
Adorable Will, even when not to do so would involve 
no sin, even when no strict Precept or Prohibition is 
laid upon us, but when He simply manifests to us 
His Good Pleasure by way of Counsel or Example. 
Amongst men, the first and second kinds of service 
would not be accounted such at all. What employer 
would think that his workmen are fulfilling their 
duty, merely because they do not kill him or any 
other member of his family, or do not rob him of all 
his money, or do not set fire to his house and shops? 
What master would consider his servant to be en- 
titled to any wages, simply because he has not done 
any injury to the children, nor stolen anything from 
the storeroom, nor quarreled with his fellow serv- 
ants? Yet God, the Lord of Infinite Majesty, re- 
wards, as if it were a great and signal service, the 
very avoidance of sin, mortal and venial. How lib- 
erally, then, will He not reward those who would 
offer themselves to accomplish His most Holy Will, 
however hard may be the task, at the merest intima- 
tion, without any positive command ; those who strive 
to give Him the very Best and most Perfect Service? 
How God Intends to Reward my Service. — Rea- 
son tells us that service calls for reward, just as 
neglect of service merits punishment. God created 
us in order that after praising, revering, and serv- 
ing Him in this world, He might make us eternally 
happy with Him in Heaven. Hence, no earthly 
good, — no wealth, nor learning, nor enjoyment, nor 
prominence, — nor all earthly goods together, can 
completely satisfy man's desire for happiness. God 



22 FIRST DAY 

alone can fill our heart; in God alone our soul can 
rest. The highest reward, however, we could nat- 
urally expect would consist in the perpetual con- 
templation and enjoyment of God, the Supreme Good- 
ness and Beauty, through some created image of the 
Divine Essence. But, as we know by revelation, 
God in His Wonderful Love has gone much further. 
Not satisfied with bestowing on us this natural bliss, 
He has designed to render us capable of seeing Him 
directly, " face to face," and to make us drink of the 
torrents of His own Measureless Felicity. " Behold 
what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed 
upon us that we should be called, and should be the 
sons of God." (1 John 3:1.) By Sanctifying Grace 
we have actually been adopted into the Divine 
Family. This is Supernatural Salvation, a reward 
such as no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no 
human heart has ever conceived; yet most certain, 
because promised us by Him who is infinitely Faith- 
ful, Liberal, and Powerful. An Everlasting, Un- 
speakable, Divine Good. All the labors, and even 
all the sufferings of this life, would be nothing in 
comparison with this unfading crown of glory. But 
I must merit it by my voluntary Service. 

How Earnestly God Desires to Save Me. — To pro- 
tect me against my own weakness, He threatens me 
with everlasting punishment, if I should despise so 
inconceivable a favor, if I should refuse my coopera- 
tion to merit so magnificent a reward. Hence there 
is no other course open to me: I must either be 
eternally blissful with God, the Saints, and the 
Angels in Heaven, or else be eternally wretched with 
Satan, the Demons, and the Reprobate in Hell. 
There the soul, irresistibly drawn towards perfect 
happiness, will remain completely isolated from the 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 23 

Sovereign Good, filled with sadness, devoured with 
remorse, and overwhelmed with despair. This pain 
of loss will be accompanied by a corresponding pain 
of sense, both afflictions to be unchangeable and end- 
less. Again, God desires my Supernatural Salva- 
tion so vehemently that He has deigned to become 
Man, to labor, to suffer, and to die for me on the 
Cross, in the deepest ignominy, in the most frightful 
torments. And to attain His loving purpose still 
more surely, He has bestowed on me the special grace 
of a Religious Vocation. In view of all this, my con- 
fidence should simply know no bounds. 

The Supreme Importance of Salvation. — This is 
the plain truth I must strive by all means to bring 
home to myself : Supernatural Salvation is " unum 
necessarium," the one thing necessary. If I save my 
soul, my life is a splendid and everlasting success; 
if not, a total and irreparable failure. " For what 
does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and 
suffer the loss of his own soul? " And how am I to 
save my soul? By praising, revering, and serving 
God; by doing God's Holy Will. To this, then, I 
must apply myself with all my energy. I must keep 
the Commandments; I must observe my Rules; I 
must practise prayer, humility, charity, and obedi- 
ence; I must follow the inspirations of grace, the 
promptings of the Holy Ghost. Yet how easy it is 
to save my soul, in comparison with the difficulty of 
acquiring earthly goods, perishable wealth, and 
empty honors! How easy especially with the abun- 
dant helps placed at my disposal in the Religious 
State! 

Third Point. End or Purpose of Other Creatures. 
All things Outside my own Personality are In- 



24 FIKST DAY 

tended to be Helps. — They were all created for my 
sake, in order to aid me in reaching my End, in ful- 
filling my purpose, namely, the praise, reverence, and 
service of God in this life, and the salvation of my 
immortal soul in the next. How can they help me? 
By contemplation, by use, and by abstinence. Of 
these three ways the first is most noble, the second 
most common, and the third most necessary, inas- 
much as neglect of the third means excess in the sec- 
ond and unfitness for the first. How admirable God's 
Goodness is, considering that every one of these 
countless creatures is a token of His personal love 
and tender solicitude for me, His possession, His 
servant, His child. They were created for me, not 
I for them ; none, in fact, could satisfy the boundless 
cravings of my heart made for God, Who alone can 
fill its capacity. 

To Help me is their Only Purpose. — I am not the 
absolute master of these creatures, of my senses, my 
faculties, my time, or my talents. They are given 
me by God, not for my selfish enjoyment, but for my 
rational use. I am not to usurp them or to discard 
them just as I please, according to my momentary 
impulses. But I am under strict obligation to avail 
myself of them for the purpose which God has in be- 
stowing them upon me, namely, to praise Him, 
to revere Him, to serve Him, and thus to merit 
Supernatural Salvation. If I use creatures aright 
I shall be rewarded, if not, I shall be punished. 
God being an All-Wise Administrator, observes most 
carefully what use I am making of His creatures ; He 
will soon call me to a minute account, and then either 
admit me to everlasting happiness in Heaven, or else 
condemn me to unending affliction in Hell. Prac- 
tically, therefore, everything depends on whether or 



THE FOUNDATION, FIRST PART 25 

not I use creatures according to God's Adorable 
Will. Merely not to use a gift, to hide it as the sloth- 
ful servant of the Gospel hid his talent, would be un- 
grateful. So I was, every time I did not avail my- 
self of an actual grace, every time I neglected to fol- 
low an inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Another in- 
ference I should draw is, that I must never blame any- 
thing, any person, or any circumstance, for my fail- 
ings and my sins. All this is sheer self-deception. 
The cause of my faults lies wholly and solely in my 
own perverse will. 

Three Categories of Men. — We may note, in con- 
clusion, that, with regard to this First Principle and 
Foundation, responsible men may be divided into 
three categories. First, those who have wilfully 
turned their minds away from the knowledge of their 
Creator and of their own End; secondly, those who 
still know God and their duties but deliberately 
make a bad use of creatures; thirdly, those who in- 
timately relish these fundamental truths and shape 
their whole conduct in perfect accordance with the 
Divine Will: Infidels, Worldlings, and Saints; but 
among the latter incomparably more holy than all 
others, the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Colloquy with God, my Heavenly Father, giving 
expression to my intense gratitude for all His fa- 
vors, to my profound regret for my numberless short- 
comings, and to my firm purpose, henceforth to live, 
think, speak, and labor only for the praise, reverence, 
and service of His Infinite Majesty, using everything 
that is intended to help me strictly in accordance with 
His Holy Will, but never usurping any creature for 
my own selfish satisfaction. At the end I will re- 
cite the Our Father. 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 

In this first Conference we shall briefly consider 
the best way of performing our principal Spiritual 
Duties; namely, Meditation, General Examen, Par- 
ticular Examen, Confession, and Holy Communion. 

Meditation. 

We should always prepare the Subject overnight. 
It ought to be suitable, that is, adapted to our actual 
needs and trials. If we find the matter proposed 
unsuitable or inapplicable, if we cannot see in it any- 
thing that will help us to pray, we might prepare 
our own points, taking as the subject of our Medita- 
tion some event from the Life or the Passion of our 
Lord. However, we should not deem a subject un- 
suitable or inapplicable simply because it does not 
appeal to us forcibly from the start. A manly effort 
to meditate on what has been proposed will often, 
with the help of grace, make us discover a rich gold- 
mine where before we saw but an arid waste. This 
much is certain: our morning Meditation will never 
succeed unless we make a practical and thorough 
Preparation for it overnight. 

The " additions " are recommendations or directions 
given by St. Ignatius, which we should diligently 
comply with, if we desire to make a good Medi- 
tation. While seemingly trivial, it would be diffi- 
cult to overestimate their importance. Before fall- 
ing asleep, we should think, for the space of a Hail 
Mary, of the hour when we have to rise and of the 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 27 

object for which we intend to do so, briefly re- 
capitulating the Meditation we are to make ; namely, 
the Three Preludes, — the subject-matter or the his- 
torical fact, the composition of place, and the peti- 
tion, — together with the Points. In the morning, 
we should get up instantly at the first sound of the 
bell, say some fervent prayer — if possible after 
kneeling down and kissing the floor — being deter- 
mined not to lose one moment of the precious time 
granted us for the exercise of Divine Love, in 
thought and desire, in labor and suffering. Im- 
mediately after this, while dressing, we should re- 
solve to attend to our Particular Examen during the 
forenoon, and then once more recall the Meditation 
we are about to make, as we did overnight, but now 
also striving to stir up in our soul appropriate senti- 
ments and dispositions. 

These directions are simple and easy enough; but 
the unfortunate fact is that we are all very much 
hampered in their observance by laziness, sensuality, 
and worldliness. Why should we have to accuse 
ourselves so frequently of being distracted during 
Meditation and other Spiritual Duties? Why can we 
not begin each Exercise of Prayer with earnestness 
and give to it our whole mind and heart, like sensi- 
ble, wide-awake men of business? It is because our 
lives are not sufficiently real, sincere, consistent, and 
thorough. It is because we forget that, what makes 
us Religious is not the habit of serge but the habit 
of self-crucifixion. 

Next comes the "ingress," or the entrance upon 
our Meditation, and this too is a matter of great im- 
portance. We must by all means strive to make an 
energetic start, with the firm determination not only 
to pray but also to succeed in prayer. The ingress 



28 FIRST DAY 

comprises the following acts; Presence of God, 
Preparatory Prayer, Composition of Place, and Peti- 
tion. As to placing ourselves in the Presence of 
God, St. Ignatius recommends that, one or two steps 
from the place of kneeling, we should stand for about 
the space of an Our Father, lifting our mind and 
heart up to God and considering how He looks down 
on us as about to meditate. The following prayer 
may be helpful to fix our attention : " I will speak 
to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes. O my 
God, I believe that Thou art everywhere present. 
All things are naked and open to Thy eyes. Thou 
seest my weakness, my nothingness, my manifold 
sinfulness. Thou lookest down upon me with pity 
and with love." Then we should make an act of in- 
ward adoration and outward humiliation, saying for 
instance, " I bow down before Thee with my body 
and soul and worship Thee. Oh ! teach me to pray." 
The Preparatory Prayer may be worded more or 
less like this : " O Lord my God, look graciously 
down upon Thy creature, the work of Thy hands, and 
grant me grace, that all my thoughts, desires, and 
actions, particularly during this Meditation, may 
be purely directed to the praise and glory of Thy 
Infinite Majesty." It might be well now and then to 
vary the form of the Preparatory Prayer, especially 
if this would help us to recite it more thoughtfully 
and fervently. The Composition of Place consists 
in seeing with the eyes of the imagination the spot 
where what we are going to meditate on was enacted. 
Sometimes this is to be taken in a metaphorical 
sense, as in the Exercises on Sin, where sin is con- 
sidered to reside in our own soul. The Petition, 
finally, consists in asking of God our Lord, with all 
the intensity of our will, the particular grace sug- 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 29 

gested by the subject-matter. St. Ignatius con- 
stantly takes care to remind us that the grace we 
beg for in the Petition should be the actual object 
of our earnest desires. 

We are now ready to begin the Meditation proper. 
The one purpose of Mental Prayer, we must remem- 
ber, is converse with the Most High, union of our 
soul with the Infinite Goodness. The labor of the 
mind in discussing the subject is intended to lead 
up to this converse, this union ; but if the Holy Ghost 
should move our heart at once to pray, so much the 
better. For spiritual union is consummated, not in 
sublime knowledge, but in supernatural love. Hence 
we must be careful not to neglect the end for the 
means. Meditation should consist mainly of ardent 
emotions prompted by the consideration of the mat- 
ter proposed in the Points, and of fervent petitions 
arising from the remembrance of our past shortcom- 
ings or the realization of our present needs, both of 
which — emotions and petitions — we should ex- 
press in Colloquies, or conversations, with God and 
the Saints, at any time during our Meditation but 
particularly towards the end. It is imperative that 
we do not look for novelty or excitement, for some- 
thing on which to feed our natural curiosity or mor- 
bid sentimentality. Pious selfishness is just as much 
a hindrance to Prayer as spiritual apathy. 

But what if dry and distracted? Of course, we 
must suppose that these distractions are not wilful; 
for if they were, our Meditation would be only a pre- 
tense, and we had much better read a useful book or 
sweep a staircase. But we entered Religion to be- 
come Saints and for nothing else. We resolved long 
ago to live for this one purpose; and hence, unless 
we want to take back our offering and to cheat our- 



30 FIEST DAY 

selves of our reward, we ought to make the best pos- 
sible use of all the means that will enable us to reach 
Sanctity, the first and chiefest of which is Prayer. 
Yet, even though we are really anxious to make a 
good Meditation, our mind may sometimes persist in 
wandering. What are we to do? We may fall back 
on the Sacred Passion or the Holy Eucharist; or 
else we may make acts of faith, hope, love, humility, 
contrition, according to the Second Method of 
Prayer, dwelling on each thought and reflecting upon 
the meaning of the words as long as this affords us 
some spiritual relish ; or again we may recite the Our 
Father, the Hail Mary, a psalm, a hymn, an invoca- 
tion, slowly and meditatively, according to the Third 
Method of Prayer. But the main thing is not to give 
up, and even if we cannot pray at all, to keep at 
least in the Divine Presence, patiently waiting for 
a heavenly favor, in the spirit of the Syrophenician 
woman who, when our Savior told her, " It is not 
good to take the bread of the children and to cast it 
to the dogs ; " humbly remonstrated, " Yea, Lord, 
for the whelps also eat of the crumbs that fall from 
the table of their masters." (Matt. 15:26-27.) As 
to drowsiness, if habitual, the cause should be in- 
vestigated and removed; if occasional, we should try 
to rouse ourselves thoroughly, not only spiritually 
but also physically. But whatever difficulties we 
may have to contend with during our Meditation, in 
any case towards the end, we should renew our peti- 
tion for the desired fruit, making a special effort to 
pray intently and concluding our Colloquy, if simple, 
with the Lord's Prayer, but if triple, with the Hail 
Mary, the Anima Christi, and the Our Father. 

A Review of our Meditation is indispensable, if we 
desire to secure its full benefit. By investigating our 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 31 

failures it teaches us also how to overcome our diffi- 
culties and correct our shortcomings. If we find 
that we have been at fault, we should impose on our- 
selves some suitable penalty. This Review can be 
made at any hour in the morning — though break- 
fast time would generally seem the most conven- 
ient — for about ten or fifteen minutes, and may 
be very appropriately concluded with a visit to the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

Besides Common Mental Prayer, or Ordinary 
Meditation, there is Affective Prayer and the Prayer 
of Simplicity. In Affective Prayer the reasoning is 
done more easily and rapidly and excites affections 
proportionately more ardent and efficacious, which 
consequently take up the greater part of our Medita- 
tion. The Repetition of previous Meditations af- 
fords a good opportunity to practise Affective 
Prayer. But when these affections become more sim- 
ple, that is, less varied and less interrupted or im- 
peded by mental considerations, they constitute 
what is usually termed the Prayer of Simplicity. 
The Exercises of the Second Week, especially after 
having been repeated frequently, are well adapted 
to the practice of the Prayer of Simplicity, which is 
the same as Ordinary or Acquired Contemplation. 
From this highest degree of apparently natural Men- 
tal Prayer, Divine Grace alone, and not our own ef- 
forts, may raise us to some elementary form of mani- 
festly Supernatural Prayer or Mystic Union. These 
two kinds of Prayer are differentiated by this, that in 
Ordinary Contemplation God is satisfied with helping 
us to conceive and to recall His Presence, while in 
Extraordinary Contemplation He deigns to give us 
an experimental knowledge and a spiritual sensation 
of His Presence. Just as there are successive steps 



32 FIRST DAY 

in what has sometimes been called Natural Prayer, 
so there are several stages in what is commonly 
styled Supernatural Prayer, namely, Incomplete, 
Complete, Ecstatic, and Transforming Union, this 
last favor approaching most closely to the crowning 
grace of Heaven, the perfect participation of the 
Divine Nature by Beatific Vision. There can be no 
doubt that, if we are faithful in the performance of 
our daily Meditation, God will, in His own good 
time, make us advance to something more profitable, 
more arduous, and also more sublime. 

The General Examen. 

The General Examen is an exercise of Prayer 
chiefly bearing on our sins and imperfections and 
commonly made twice a day, about noon and before 
retiring, for the space of fifteen minutes. After 
placing ourselves, as usual, in the Presence of God, 
we should first give Him Thanks for all His favors, 
but particularly for those received during the previ- 
ous part of the day. 

Secondly, we should beg earnestly for Light and 
Grace that we may know and detest our sins. This 
petition, to be sure, is not always made with suffi- 
cient fervor. Yet precisely here we are facing one 
great obstacle to progress ; we do not know ourselves, 
we do not recognize our faults, we do not want to 
see them in their real malice and baseness, we shut 
our eyes to them, we connive at them, we excuse and 
palliate them, we lay the blame for them on acci- 
dental circumstances, the conduct of others, our own 
fatigue, illness, and what not, and even we pride our- 
selves on them as if they were acts of virtue. Our 
mind is darkened and our will is hardened. Hence 
we do need much light and grace, and should make 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 33 

this petition with great humility and confidence. 

Now, thirdly, comes the Examination proper, which 
should not require more than three or four minutes. 
A very convenient way is to take up the main obliga- 
tions of the Religious Life: Prayer, mental and 
vocal; Self -Denial, in suffering and contempt; 
Charity, in thought, speech, and action; our Vows; 
our Rules; our Resolutions. Or else we may go 
through the successive hours and occupations of the 
preceding portion of the day, but this procedure is 
more open to distractions. — Here we may also make 
our Particular Examen. 

Fourthly, we should make acts of sincere Contri- 
tion, including all the sins of our past life, especially 
those which were more grievous or more deliberate. 
We should also lament with deep confusion the ugly 
and dangerous dispositions of our soul, of which our 
faults are but so many symptons — self-esteem, self- 
love, sensuality, impatience, ingratitude towards 
God, unkindness towards our neighbor, — in other 
words, our actual and manifold leaning towards re- 
bellion, our pride. After all, in this lies the only 
evil, the only sin : in the foolish turning away of our 
heart from God, in our feeble volition departing from 
His most Holy Will. And to humble Contrition we 
should join suitable Satisfaction. After resolving 
on what we ourselves can shortly do in expiation for 
our numerous offenses, we may for this same end 
also offer up the prayers, penances, and sufferings 
of all fervent Religious on earth, the merits of the 
Saints and Angels in heaven, especially those of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, and above all the infinite atone- 
ment made by Christ our Lord. 

Lastly, we should renew our Determination to cor- 
rect our faults, to keep our Rules, to perform our 



34 FIEST DAY 

Duties, to practise our Particular Exarnen, with spe- 
cial regard to present circumstances and positive 
difficulties; and then conclude this General Examen 
with the Our Father. 

The Particular Examen. 

Some Religious fancy that they could never ac- 
quire a virtue by the method of the Particular Ex- 
amen, that is, by a gradually increasing number of 
acts. They fear it would break their head to try 
to make daily, say a hundred acts of humility, or of 
charity, or of union with God. But their apprehen- 
sion is entirely groundless. Worldlings surely do 
not break their head by making daily, not hundreds, 
but even thousands of useless and sinful acts in 
thought, word, and deed. All habits, and especially 
good ones, are formed slowly; but once formed they 
enable us to make a large number of acts with com- 
parative ease. What we need is dogged persever- 
ance in applying ourselves to the subject chosen, and 
the very fact that we have not as yet fully succeeded 
should suffice to keep the matter fresh and interest- 
ing. 

The first thing to do, therefore, is to select a Suit- 
able Subject, some defect we desire to overcome or 
some virtue we wish to acquire. In deliberating 
about this choice we should implore the Divine guid- 
ance and avail ourselves of the counsels and admoni- 
tions of our Superiors. But this is not enough. In 
the next place, we must firmly make up our mind 
that, with the help of grace, we are going to conquer 
ourselves in the matter decided upon, by a diligent 
use of the Particular Examen; and, especially when 
there is question of some outward fault, we must not 
hesitate to set a limited time for its correction. Be- 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 35 

sides, we should carefully study our duties, occupa- 
tions, and surroundings, with a view to the oppor- 
tunities they may offer for carrying our resolution 
into practice. So much for the preparation. 

The real work consists in this : never to allow the 
subject of our Particular Exam en to be entirely ab- 
sent from our mind; daily to pray earnestly for 
energy and perseverance, particularly during Mass, 
Communion, and Visits; to renew our resolve twice 
a day, namely, after arising and about noon; to as- 
certain our progress likewise twice a day, namely, 
about noon and before retiring, or practically dur- 
ing the two General Examens of Conscience; lastly, 
if in this Particular Examen we discover that in- 
stead of making progress we have fallen back or been 
guilty of negligence, to impose on ourselves some 
penance for the faults committed or the acts of vir- 
tue omitted, in proportion to their number. Fidelity 
and generosity in complying with these simple di- 
rections will infallibly insure success. 

Confession. 

What to do before Confession. — While it is most 
commendable to manifest our doubts of conscience 
with childlike candor to our Confessor, yet we should 
never accuse ourselves of anything unless we are con- 
vinced that it is our own fault, never as long as in 
our inmost heart we excuse ourselves and lay the 
blame on something outside our own perverse will, 
never as long as we are not determined to overcome 
and correct ourselves at any cost. We cannot keep 
it too vividly before our mind that Confession with- 
out Contrition is of no avail and that it is not enough 
to be merely impatient or disappointed at our weak- 
ness and misery. Though it is not necessarv that we 



36 FIRST DAY 

should shed tears of compunction, still we must be 
really sorry for the sins we confess and detest them 
with our whole soul from supernatural motives. Be- 
fore Confession, therefore, in addition to a diligent 
Examination of our Conscience and a thorough Re- 
alization of our Guilt we need an earnest Considera- 
tion of these Supernatural Motives ; namely, the foul- 
ness of sin, the danger of perdition, the goodness 
of God. Through the neglect of these preliminaries 
our Confessions will necessarily become somewhat 
insincere, and such insincerity can never be produc- 
tive of any good but, on the contrary, is certain to do 
harm. We must strive, then, to be Sincere: the 
statement of our sins should be a Real Self-Accusa- 
tion, made with true Shame and Confusion at our in- 
gratitude, our selfishness, our sensuality, our in- 
fidelity, our rebellion. In proportion to this sense 
of Shame and Confusion will be our Contrition, and 
the more intense our Contrition the more rapid and 
thorough will be our Amendment. We shall never 
correct a single fault of which we are not heartily 
ashamed. 

How to Confess. — In making our Confession we 
should strive to be Brief and state as a rule only 
three or four sins; the other venial faults, if we are 
guilty of any more, will be canceled also by the ab- 
solution, provided we are truly sorry for them. 
Whenever we have to confess only venial sins, or 
none at all as far as we can distinctly remember — 
in which case we should state so in all simplicity — it 
is advisable to add a General Accusation of the sins 
of our past life, mentioning that particular sin or 
kind of sins which fills us with deeper Confusion and 
is, consequently, more likely to be confessed with true 
and fervent Contrition. We can say, for instance, 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 37 

" I accuse myself also of the sins of my past life and 
especially of sins of disobedience," " anger," " glut- 
tony," "lying." In other words, unless we have 
good reason for acting differently, we should em- 
phasize those sins which humble us more and con- 
fess them in the manner we find more humiliating. 
Thus we shall prevent this general accusation from 
degenerating into a mere formula. As for the 
Method of making our Confession, it is very desirable 
that all should follow the one taught in some stand- 
ard Catechism approved by the entire Hierarchy of 
the country in which we are living. 

What to do after Confession. — When the Priest 
tells us to renew the Act of Contrition, a good plan 
is to recite it in an audible whisper, somewhat after 
the Third Method of Prayer, that is, dwelling on the 
important words and realizing their meaning. 
Many people say the Act of Contrition, like their 
other vocal prayers, too quickly, and some do not say 
it at all but keep thinking of their Confession. For 
the rest, let us be simple, open, obedient, and fervent. 
Questions relating to Spiritual Guidance, imperfec- 
tions, scruples, or similar matters, had better be 
asked after the Absolution. Otherwise the Priest 
might meanwhile forget of what we accused our- 
selves and be obliged to make us repeat. Lastly, as 
to the Penance, we should bear in mind that we 
satisfy it as soon as we perform what has been en- 
joined, even though at the time we may not be think- 
ing of our obligation. There is no harm in adding 
some Additional Penance, acts of outward humilia- 
tion or bodily chastisement. On the contrary, such 
Austerities are very beneficial and in many cases in- 
dispensable. Not age or occupation, but only weak- 
ness or disease, should make us give up these Peni- 



38 FIRST DAY 

tential Exercises so highly recommended by the Mas- 
ters of the Spiritual Life to all who are in real earnest 
about their Sanctification. It is difficult to under- 
stand how any Religious training can give satisfac- 
tory results when these Corporal Afflictions are either 
not known or not permitted. But, on the other 
hand, they should not be imposed or practised in- 
discriminately. 

General Confession. — It is customary for Reli- 
gious during the early part of the annual Retreat to 
make a General Confession, " a review," from the 
time of their last Retreat. Provided it be made with 
real earnestness, this is certainly a very salutary cus- 
tom. A General Confession of our entire life is to be 
recommended at our entrance into Religion; also at 
any subsequent conversion to greater fervor, owing to 
some extraordinary visitation of God, or to some re- 
markable grace of more ardent contrition; and at 
our admission to the final Vows. But what has been 
said of ordinary confessions applies likewise to Gen- 
eral Confessions; their effect will be exactly propor- 
tionate to the depth of our Confusion, that is, to the 
sincerity of our Self -Accusation. One should never 
think of making a General Confession simply be- 
cause he does not remember any longer whether he 
ever confessed some sin of the past, or merely be- 
cause he does not feel quite satisfied about his former 
confessions for lack of sensible contrition and sub- 
sequent amendment. 

Spiritual Direction is practically indispensable for 
making progress. If we should have a Confessor 
that is both able and willing to guide us to higher 
perfection, we should practise towards him childlike 
openness and great docility, yet in our interviews 
with him be regardful of his time and sparing in our 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 39 

words. In this important matter, we ought simply 
to consider whether a Priest possesses the necessary 
virtue, learning, and experience. If the Ordinary 
Confessor should not appear to have these requisites, 
fervent Religious will at least try to avail themselves 
of the Extraordinary. Novices, however, especially 
in such untoward circumstances, might find it more 
helpful to open their heart to their Master ; and even 
Professed Religious would often be benefited by ask- 
ing counsel of their Superior or of one of their 
Seniors. We should deal with Superiors just as 
good children with affectionate parents. Many of 
our little doubts and difficulties could be solved in 
this easy fashion to our own great advantage. We 
should not be bashful nor reticent. We should learn 
to manifest our interior to those who are qualified 
to assist us, and thus we shall get clearer ideas about 
the actual condition of our soul, and sooner become, 
to some extent, capable of guiding ourselves under 
ordinary circumstances. Besides, this laying open 
of our inmost conscience is the only sure means not 
to stray from the road to Holiness, not to be deceived 
by the Flesh, the World, or the Devil. 

Many wise regulations have been made by the 
Church to facilitate the practice of Sacramental 
Confession. Pope Pius X, in his recent decree " Cum 
de sacramentalibus," has prescribed that all mem- 
bers of Religious Congregations of Women should be 
kept acquainted with the ample faculties granted to 
insure their liberty of conscience. At the same time, 
all such Religious are to be reminded that, in avail- 
ing themselves of their leave to apply for a special 
Confessor, they should not be swayed by human con- 
siderations but only have in view their spiritual good 
and their progress in virtue. By a subsequent decree 



40 FIRST DAY 

in favor of Religious Orders or Congregations of 
Men, our Holy Father the Pope has granted to all 
Confessors, approved by the local Ordinaries, faculty 
to absolve any member even from sins reserved un- 
der censure in his Institute. 

Holy Communion. 

Provided we are in the state of grace, have a super- 
natural motive, and are in earnest about making a 
diligent preparation and a suitable thanksgiving, we 
should strive to communicate every day. This, as 
we know on the authority of the Holy See, is the ar- 
dent desire of Jesus Christ and His Church with re- 
gard to all the faithful that have come to the use of 
reason. Doubtfully grievous sins, strictly speaking, 
do not take away our liberty to approach the Holy 
Table. As to admixture of other motives, the ques- 
tion is which one determines our choice, the natural 
or the supernatural. Communicating chiefly from a 
natural motive, such as human respect, routine, sensi- 
ble sweetness, or temporal favor, even though one 
does not commit a sacrilege, is certain to produce 
very little good. Frequent Communion, especially 
Daily Communion, should make us gradually ad- 
vance, by rendering us more vigilant and prayerful, 
more obedient and charitable, more patient, humble, 
and mortified. On the other hand, it should grad- 
ually diminish our venial faults, at least those which 
are fully deliberate, and intensify our detestation of 
sin. If on the contrary we grow more careless and 
more irreverential, if our preparation becomes less 
devout and our thanksgiving less fervent than when 
we communicated only a few times a week, if we 
continue to commit the same faults as before with 
equal or even greater facility and make no serious 



OUR SPIRITUAL DUTIES 41 

effort to improve our conduct or to check our evil 
habits, then there is certainly grave reason for en- 
tering into ourselves and for consulting a prudent 
confessor. The principles that should guide his de- 
cision are thus stated by Fr. Noldin, S. J. (Ill, n. 
160): "Those whose regard for the supernatural 
life is limited to preserving their souls free from 
mortal sin, and who, while neglecting their spiritual 
improvement, derive from Frequent Communion no 
other fruit than an increase of grace and charity, fail 
in the reverence due to this Sacrament." — " Those 
who do not rid themselves of their venial sins and 
make no effort whatever to correct such faults, who, 
in other words, are living in the state of tepidity and 
take no means at all to rise from that condition, are 
to be debarred from Frequent Communion." What, 
then, would be the result if a tepid Religious per- 
sisted in communicating frequently and even daily, 
contrary to the advice of his Confessor? He would 
eventually approach the Holy Table in the state of 
mortal sin and thus " eat and drink judgment to him- 
self, not discerning the body of the Lord." 

We should all make a great deal of the prescrip- 
tions of the ritual for the administration of Holy 
Communion and understand the meaning of the 
Latin formulas and prayers used by the Priest. It 
is also advisable during time of Retreat to examine 
whether we still follow the proper manner of receiv- 
ing the Sacred Host. To put it briefly: we should 
spread and hold the cloth horizontally, raise our head 
somewhat according to circumstances, close our eyes, 
open our mouth sufficiently to allow the tongue to 
rest on the lower lip, and avoid moving our head sud- 
denly forward towards the Priest's hand or drawing 
pur tongue back with a jerk. 



THE FOUNDATION, SECOND PART 

Subject of this Meditation. — Three important Con- 
clusions that follow from the fundamental truths 
considered in the First Part. 

Composition of Place. — To see heaven opened 
above me — a magnificent throne — and hell yawn- 
ing under my feet — a narrow cell of fire — also 
myself placed on this earth halfway between heaven 
and hell, saying to myself : " For all eternity I shall 
either be in heaven enjoying the glory of the Blessed, 
or else in hell suffering the torments of the Reprobate, 
and it depends on me alone, which of these two con- 
ditions will be my lot within a few years, perhaps 
even within a few hours; it depends on me alone 
whether I am to gain so great a good or to incur so 
great an evil." — How true! How certain! How 
appalling ! 

Petition. — Light to realize more and more inti- 
mately the supreme importance of my sanctification 
and salvation, to understand more and more clearly 
what means will most surely bring it to a successful 
issue; also strength to resolve firmly on using these 
means and then to use them perseveringly until death. 

First Point. First Conclusion: "Whence it fol- 
lows that man must make use of creatures in so far 
as they help him to reach his End, and must abstain 
from them in so far as they hinder him from reaching 



THE FOUNDATION, SECOND PART 43 

his End " ; namely, the praise, reverence, and service 
of God here below and the possession of God here- 
after. 

This is an evident consequence of what reason and 
faith tell us about the origin and purpose of man and 
again about the origin and purpose of the rest of 
creation. It might be put also thus : " I must use 
creatures only in as far as God commands, counsels, 
or desires me to use them " ; for clearly the only serv- 
ice we can render to God consists in the accomplish- 
ment of His Adorable Will. Hence, whether things 
please me or displease me, this should never influ- 
ence my action and not even enter into my considera- 
tion. I should eagerly embrace and diligently use 
whatever is in accordance with my Rules, with the 
orders and directions of my Superiors, with the ad- 
vice of my Confessor, with the dispositions of Divine 
Providence, with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 
I should unhesitatingly give up and carefully shun 
whatever is contrary, or merely foreign to the Ador- 
able Will of God. But when uncertain I should pray 
for light, and in more important matters I should, 
besides, take counsel with some prudent and fervent 
person. This is to act and to live like a rational 
being; this is what forms or strengthens in the soul 
that most wise, most noble, and most practical habit 
which is technically called " Indifference." To be 
Indifferent, therefore, means to be unbiased, impar- 
tial, disinterested, unselfish; but it has nothing in 
common with listlessness or apathy, with the lazy 
mood of " I don't care," " It's all the same to me." 
Indifference denotes the absence in the will of any 
inclination towards, or any aversion from any crea- 
ture for its own sake or on our own account. Hence, 
Indifference does not exclude any inclination how- 



44 FIKST DAY 

ever strong towards things prescribed by God nor any 
aversion however intense for things forbidden by 
God. In fact, this holy Indifference cannot even be 
conceived to exist apart from an entire Devotion to 
the service of God, and these two combined, Devotion 
and Indifference, import a perfect liberty of the 
spirit, untrammeled by any downward tendency of 
nature, an undivided energy of the will centered on 
God and embracing everything else in God. 

If I use any created thing not in accordance with 
this conclusion, I cease to be Indifferent, I become 
selfish, and my use is surely inordinate, perhaps even 
sinful. How wrong this is we can perhaps appreciate 
better by means of an illustration. If a chalice con- 
secrated by certain ceremonies to the Divine service, 
should be used for any but a sacred purpose, it is 
profaned; and if that use should be distinctly im- 
proper, we would call it a Sacrilege. In a similar 
manner, creatures are profaned when we use them 
for any other end than the service of God, since they 
have been created essentially for this one jmrpose, 
and as man is a being immeasurably inferior to the 
Most High, by abusing creatures for our private 
gratification we commit something akin to Sacrilege. 
At the same time, every such abuse is clearly an act 
of base Ingratitude towards our Sovereign Benefac- 
tor. These considerations may well fill us with 
shame and regret for our past inordinations and 
sins. Evidently, we must be Indifferent, if we wish 
to praise, revere, and serve God our Lord, and thus to 
save our immortal souls. The object of the General 
Examen is to discover in how far our thoughts, words, 
and actions, have been lacking in Indifference. Have 
we made it diligently at the appointed times twice a 
day? 



THE FOUNDATION, SECOND PART 45 

To act constantly according to this evident conclu- 
sion, this fundamental rule of right reason, to prac- 
tise Indifference at all times and under all circum- 
stances, on the one hand constitutes the solid founda- 
tion of the loftiest sanctity, while on the other hand 
it is the most difficult task we have got to do in this 
world. For the thoughts of the human heart are 
prone to evil from an early age. We are reminded 
of this scriptural dictum by our constant experience. 
Owing primarily to the fall of Adam and secondarily 
to our own sins and faults, we are not Indifferent, 
we are not impartial, but on the contrary are in- 
clined to use creatures for the sake of the satisfac- 
tion they afford to our senses, to our passions. Hence 
that quasi-instinctive horror we have of poverty and 
suffering. In consequence- of original sin we are in- 
fected with a threefold concupiscence; sensuality, 
covetousness, and pride; the threefold attachment 
to health, wealth, and honor. These cravings and 
repugnances of our lower appetites — our likes and 
dislikes — are bad, not in themselves, but in their 
having broken away from the firm control of reason 
and of faith. They are bad on account of the dis- 
order with which they make us go after some crea- 
tures and flee from others, without the slightest re- 
gard, or even in direct opposition to the Service of 
God, the accomplishment of His Holy Will, the ob- 
servance of Rules, the Obedience due to Superiors, 
the claims of Fraternal Charity. Thus we invert the 
essential order of things ; we appropriate to our own 
service the creatures made by God exclusively and 
necessarily for His. Besides, as experience also 
teaches us, everybody has some predominant inclina- 
tion, some particular form of self-love or self-esteem, 
which is at the root of most of his failings and short- 



46 FIRST DAY 

comings, and practically results in a decided lack of 
Indifference towards certain creatures. Against 
such a predominant passion we have to be constantly 
on our guard, and hence it should be thoroughly 
known. Here it may be well to examine ourselves 
once more on those common habits of thoughtless- 
ness, inconsiderateness, precipitation; of fiction and 
emotionalism, sway of the imagination and of the 
heart; of self-indulgence, self-complacency, self-suf- 
ficiency. What could be more obvious than that we 
should never judge nor fancy, except in strict accord- 
ance with the truth, never pretend to possess cer- 
tainty when we have only probability, never confound 
our subjective impressions with the objective reali- 
ties. Yet how often we forget these simple princi- 
ples, how often we go deliberately counter to them. 
The fact is, we need an unlimited amount of Self- 
Discipline. 

Second Point. Second Conclusion: "Hence we 
have to Make ourselves Indifferent." 

This obligation of making myself Indifferent fol- 
lows directly from the two obvious truths considered 
just now, that I ought to be Indifferent and that I 
am not Indifferent. However, St. Ignatius wisely 
adds a restriction, " in as far it is left to my free will 
to do so." The reason of this is that my Indifference 
should be wholly regulated by my duty of serving 
God. Now as to many things I can no longer be 
Indifferent, because in their regard I know already 
the Divine Will. On the contrary, I must be deter- 
mined to use these creatures for promoting the glory 
of my Creator and the sanctification of my soul. No 
man, for instance, can be Indifferent as to the mat- 
ter of the Ten Commandments, no Catholic can be 



THE FOUNDATION, SECOND PART 47 

Indifferent as to what falls under the Precepts of 
the Church. As a Religious I must be eager for 
whatever is prescribed by my holy Institute, or de- 
manded by my sublime Vocation, or imposed by my 
lawful Superiors. But as to all the rest, I have got 
to Make myself Indifferent. How does this follow? 
Because otherwise, owing to my unruly passions, 
owing to my strong leaning towards perishable goods 
and vain distinctions, I shall not be Indifferent; and 
if I am not Indifferent, I cannot make a right use of 
creatures ; consequently, I shall fall into inordination 
and sin, I shall soon become a useless and wicked 
servant, and in the end I shall not be saved. Be- 
sides, since my fallen nature however much remedied 
can never be completely cured, since my wayward 
likes and dislikes however much corrected can never 
be definitively mastered, this Making myself Indiffer- 
ent will Always be necessary. A very difficult task 
indeed, for it means the uprooting of inclinations and 
aversions that have been growing up in my heart for 
many, many years. Imagine a tree that has its tough 
roots firmly fixed in the stony soil. Consider the la- 
bor required first to cut it down, and next to loosen 
the earth all around, in order finally to uproot the 
stump. My inordinate likes and dislikes are so 
many trees and stumps that have their roots in my 
own sensitive heart. To Make myself Indifferent 
means, then, a continual struggle against a most 
powerful and ever-active enemy, namely, my corrupt 
nature; it means a painful struggle in which I my- 
self shall feel every wound inflicted on my opponent ; 
it means an inward struggle and as such entirely re- 
moved from the notice and the praise of my fellow 
men. But, however difficult this lifelong task may 
be, it is necessary and hence feasible; for on those 



48 FIRST DAY 

who are willing God is sure to bestow abundant 
grace. 

How am I to Make myself Indifferent? There are 
three means to be used conjointly : I must resolve, 
I must pray, and I must practise. Resolution : since 
it is necessary, I have got to do it ; and that without 
delay, for every moment my vicious propensities are 
growing stronger; without intermission, for to pluck 
them up by the root is not the work of one day ; with- 
out restriction, for what would it profit to resist one 
tendency while fostering another? Consequently, I 
must do it methodically, by means of the Particular 
Examen. Prayer: I must frequently implore the 
grace of holy Indifference; more than this, I must 
humbly beseech God, if conducive to His better serv- 
ice, to send me those very things from which I un- 
reasonably recoil and to deprive me of those others 
to which I am unduly attached; I must ardently beg 
for the strength to embrace the former and to shun 
the latter, whenever there arises an opportunity. 
Practice : I must daily strive to carry out my resolu- 
tion and to live up to my prayer, by resisting my 
natural inclinations, by curbing my natural aver- 
sions, by checking my inordinate likes and dislikes, 
so as to think, speak, or act, not from mere whim or 
impulse, but only from the motive and the desire of 
pleasing and serving God, my Creator and Lord. In 
fact, the whole Retreat is intended to instruct us, and 
to persuade us, and to train us, in this matter of In- 
difference. These Spiritual Exercises will show us 
practically how to conquer ourselves, that is, how to 
acquire that habitual Indifference, impartiality, and 
unselfishness, which is not indolent apathy, but all 
energy and exertion, self-control and self-mastery, 
true nobility and intimate union with God. 



THE FOUNDATION, SECOND PART 49 

Third Point. Third Conclusion: We should aim 
in all things at " Desiring and Choosing only what 
is most Conducive to the End for which we were 
created." 

This is the mature fruit of holy Indifference, the 
perfect rule of conduct deduced by St. Ignatius from 
the Principle and Foundation. This, indeed, is to 
lead a well regulated life : always seeking and select- 
ing the means best calculated to advance our sanctifi- 
cation, to secure our salvation, to increase the glory 
of the Most High. No wonder that we find this 
ultimate conclusion embodied in the preparatory 
prayer we make at the beginning of every medita- 
tion : " That all my thoughts, desires, and actions, 
may be purely directed to the praise and glory of Thy 
Infinite Majesty." — " Desiring " expresses an enlight- 
ened and fervent disposition to know and to do the 
Holy Will of God, not darkened by fancy, not ex- 
tinguished by passion, not thwarted and vanquished 
by blind impulses. " Choosing " denotes an actual 
and perfect correspondence to this efficacious desire, 
embracing joyfully whatever is most advantageous to 
the salvation of souls or to the Service of God, and 
generously discarding whatever is less helpful. 
Hence the Saints continually prayed that they might 
know and do God's Adorable Will. Following in 
their footsteps, our constant aim and strenuous en- 
deavor should be A. M. D. G., " For the Greater Glory 
of God." This is to be the fruit of our Retreat. 

Colloquy, with the Blessed Virgin, free from all in- 
ordination and exempt from all concupiscence; also 
with our Divine Lord, Whose food it was to do the 
Will of His Heavenly Father. I will acknowledge 
my great lack of Indifference and Generosity, my 



50 FIRST DAY 

poor use of the General and Particular Examens, my 
frequent neglect of humble and fervent Prayer. I 
will regret that I have been so unfaithful in the Serv- 
ice of my Lord and Creator, so slothful in the work 
of my sanctification and salvation, so cowardly in 
the mortification of my senses, so remiss in the sub- 
jugation of my passions. I will implore pardon for 
my numberless sins, inordinations, and negligences. 
Lastly, I will promise amendment and beg grace to 
take up my task with fresh vigor, to live only for 
the perfect accomplishment of the Divine Will. — 
Hail Mary. Our Father. 



A. M. D. G. 

"my child, give me thy heart." 

SECOND DAY 



special patron: St. Aloysius. 

motto : " Create in me a clean heart, O God." — 
Ps. 50:12. 

spirit: Humility on account of my Sinfulness. 

reading: Imitation; Bk. I, C. 21, 22. 

Bk. Ill, C. 4, 8, 14, 52. 
Bk. IV, C. 7. 

Penitential Psalms; 6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 
129, 142. 



Prepare for a more than usually fervent Con- 
fession, including, if you wish, the time elapsed since 
your last Retreat, or any other portion of your past 
life, in so far as this may help you to deeper humility 
and greater contrition but will not disturb you by 
scrupulous doubts or groundless apprehensions. 



THE TRIPLE SIN 

Introductory Remarks. — We now enter upon the 
First Week, or first period, of the Spiritual Exercises, 
which is devoted to the consideration of sin and its 
consequences. The subject of our Particular Ex- 
amen during the entire Retreat should be, how 
we have observed silence and recollection, how we 
have applied ourselves to the meditations, examens, 
and other prayers, and how we have kept the " addi- 
tions." These additions, as stated before, are specific 
recommendations given by St. Ignatius, his expert 
advice for making a successful Retreat. In the First 
Week, he tells us to refrain from thinking on pleas- 
ant and joyful subjects, to darken our apartment by 
not admitting more light than necessary for our vari- 
ous occupations, and to perform some exterior pen- 
ance or bodily mortification, in accordance with the 
prescription of our Rule, the permission of our Con- 
fessor, or the direction of our Superior. 

We should all take up the Exercises of this First 
Week with an intense desire of realizing more inti- 
mately the heinousness of our sins, in order that we 
may detest them more thoroughly and humble our- 
selves more deeply. All should do so, whether at 
some time or other of their past lives they have fallen 
into mortal sin, or whether, in spite of their many 
infidelities and venial sins, they have been preserved 
by a special favor of God from grievously violating 
His holy Law. Unless we do penance we shall all 



THE TRIPLE SIN 53 

likewise perish. Unless we strive to humble our- 
selves with the utmost sincerity, unless we labor to 
grieve over our sins from the bottom of our heart, we 
are wasting this opportunity of grace, we are missing 
this Divine call to complete conversion, and besides, 
what is far more serious, by neglecting this indis- 
pensable preparation for future trials and tempta- 
tions, we may jeopardize not only our Religious Vo- 
cation but even our eternal bliss. We must bear in 
mind that the fruit of this Retreat will be exactly 
proportional, not to the intensity of sensible consola- 
tion we may experience, nor to the abundance of 
ascetical doctrine we may gather, but to the confu- 
sion, contrition, and detestation we conceive for our 
past inordinations and sins. Hence we should apply 
ourselves to these meditations of the First Week with 
all the energy of our soul. 

Meanwhile every one should diligently prepare to 
go to Confession. In this Confession we should in- 
clude an accurate and contrite Review of the last 
year and also unburden our heart of anything that 
may cause us doubt or anxiety. 

Subject of this Meditation. — The sin of the Angels, 
the sin of our First Parents, and the sin of a Soul 
lost in Hell. 

Composition of Place.— The actual abode of sin 
and of the sinner ; namely, " to see with the eyes of 
my imagination and to consider, that my soul is im- 
prisoned in this corruptible body, and my whole self 
in this vale of misery, as it were, in exile among 
brute beasts : my whole self, body and soul." 

" To consider my soul imprisoned in this corrupt- 
ible body." My soul, spiritual and immortal, 



54 SECOND DAY 

created to the image and likeness of the Ever-Blessed 
Trinity, redeemed by the blood of onr Adorable 
Savior, a temple of the Holy Ghost by sanctifying 
grace, adorned with the theological and moral virtues 
as well as with the seven gifts of the Divine Spirit, 
destined to enjoy the vision of God for all eternity 
in heaven, after praising, revering, and serving her 
Creator and Lord a short time here on earth ; — this 
soul of mine, instead of availing herself of the body 
which she informs and animates to promote the glory 
of the Most High, by holding it subject to reason and 
directing all its energies towards the attainment of 
her End, has surrendered to it, has allowed herself to 
be ruled by its brutal instincts, and has yielded to 
them even so far as to fail in her duty of serving the 
Almighty, in order not to give any displeasure to 
this corruptible flesh, taken from dead matter and 
soon to be consigned to the grave, a mass of putre- 
faction. And the body, by this continual subjection 
of the soul, has acquired such a mastery over her, 
that now she finds in it, instead of a useful instru- 
ment to serve God, a tangle of almost insurmount- 
able obstacles that fetter her liberty as a prisoner is 
prevented by the walls of his narrow cell not only 
from going out but even from freely moving within. 
" To consider my whole being as in exile on this 
earth. " What a shame and confusion for a person 
of good parentage and lofty sentiments, to see him- 
self shut up in a squalid and darksome prison ! But 
how much greater would be his shame and confusion 
if, in addition to this, he should find himself exiled 
to a cold and dreary region, far from the society of 
his acquaintances, among a rude and savage people? 
The true country of the soul that serves God faith- 
fully is the Heavenly Jerusalem. But when a soul 



THE TRIPLE SIN 55 

has become enslaved to the body, she drags along her 
wretched existence as it were in exile on this inhos- 
pitable earth, so utterly unlike her Glorious Home. 
" To consider myself as exiled among brute 
beasts." If it is a terrible disgrace for a man of 
noble extraction to be compelled to keep company 
with criminals and outlaws, what would it be to have 
to live among filthy animals? Yet such is the self- 
chosen lot of any one that gives free rein to his lower 
appetites and has no other rule for his conduct than 
pain and pleasure. For he lives, in very truth, as if 
he were devoid of reason and judgment, like an ir- 
rational beast. 

Petition. — " Shame and confusion at my own condi- 
tion, seeing how many have been lost for one single 
mortal sin, and how many times I have merited to be 
lost eternally for my numerous sins." 

This is the necessary prerequisite for true and 
ardent contrition. We can never be sincerely sorry 
for our sins unless first of all we are thoroughly 
ashamed of them. Suppose a Religious through his 
own fault were sentenced to the penitentiary for life, 
or farmed out as a convict for hard labor, as men and 
women were till recently in some of the Southern 
States, to be treated worse than a brute; what awful 
humiliation, what intolerable confusion! But how 
immeasurably more intense would be my confusion 
if I could realize where I have deserved to be, per- 
haps already for many years : — in Hell ? 

First Point. The Sin of the Angels. 

We may represent to ourselves the Angels as 
placed at their creation in an ethereal paradise, the 
vestibule of eternal bliss. Their number was count- 



56 SECOND DAY 

less. Being by nature pure Spirits, they were inde- 
pendent of matter for their maintenance, motion, 
cognition, and volition. Their knowledge was won- 
derfully sublime, keen, and comprehensive; the 
energy of their will was proportioned to the loftiness 
of their intelligence; and their power surpassed that 
of the whole physical world. Besides, from the first 
moment of their creation they had been endowed with 
Sanctifying Grace and adorned with various virtues, 
preeminently with Charity. And what was their 
purpose, their destiny? The same as ours, to show 
reverence and obedience to their Lord and Creator. 
Hence they were unceasingly singing the praises of 
the Most High, rapt in loving adoration before the 
throne of His Majesty. 

How did so many come to fall? They knew what 
gifts God had bestowed on them, their marvelous 
natural and supernatural endowments. They were 
free to direct their intelligence either to these gifts 
or to the Giver ; and both operations were to be done, 
for how can we worthily honor and thank God for 
His benefits unless we take care to know and value 
them? But in the contemplation of these gifts there 
lies a great danger. It should be done only to praise, 
revere, and love God ; only in as far as it is agreeable 
to His Holy Will. Hence, when we are prompted 
by an actual grace to turn our attention from our- 
selves to God, we are to do so without delay. Many 
of the Angels, we may suppose, neglected such a 
grace. In itself this neglect was only an inordina- 
tion, but the consequence was that they persisted in 
their self-contemplation beyond the proper bounds, 
and that their will became unduly taken up with 
their own beauty. Perhaps yet another and stronger 
grace was offered and likewise rejected. Then the 



THE TRIPLE SIN 57 

final test was proposed, which probably consisted in 
the adoration of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, the Sec- 
ond Person of the Ever-Blessed Trinity, hypostatic- 
ally united to a creature that was specifically far 
inferior to the Angels; or, what comes to the same, 
in the veneration of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, 
Mother of God, and Queen of the Universe. The 
greater part of the Angelic Hosts, following the lead 
of St. Michael, joyfully complied with the Eternal 
Decree, and in return were forthwith admitted to the 
Beatific Vision, to the bliss and glory of Heaven. 
But Lucifer when called upon to obey despised the 
Sovereign Behest, exclaiming, " I will not serve " ; 
and in this rebellion he was at once joined by numer- 
ous other Spirits. They refused to glorify their 
Creator, because they had become enamored of them- 
selves and inflated with pride. 

Who can fathom the malice of this refusal of obedi- 
ence, proceeding from creatures wholly destined for 
the Divine Service and lavishly enriched with the 
noblest attributes, in the very presence of the Ador- 
able Majesty of God? But that same instant they 
hear the awful sentence : " Depart from Me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire." No longer adopted 
Sons but degraded Rebels, they are stripped of Sanc- 
tifying Grace and Supernatural Virtue. Their 
beauty is changed into hideousness, their wisdom has 
become madness, their love is turned into hatred, and 
from lofty Angels they are transformed into abject 
Demons. Driven from before the throne of God 
they are hurled into the abyss of Hell. How differ- 
ent from their former abode and from their destined 
home ! A prison instead of a palace, a torture cham- 
ber instead of a delightful paradise, a place of utter 
infamy instead of a seat of ineffable glory! There 



58 SECOND DAY 

they are confined by that pitiless fire and consumed 
with incessant remorse. They wanted to have their 
own way, they wanted to be their own masters; and 
now they are hurled back forever on their own noth- 
ingness, malice, and pride. 

Consider that this punishment was visited on the 
Angels, the first and most perfect creatures of an in- 
finitely Loving God; that it was pronounced on ac- 
count of one single mortal sin by Him Who is 
infinitely Just, Who can, therefore, never be influ- 
enced by anger or hatred; by Him Who is infinitely 
Merciful and Who, consequently, always punishes 
less than deserved. Yet the sentence of damnation 
smote them immediately and irrevocably, because 
they knowingly and wilfully committed one mortal 
sin ; an act of rebellion against the Sovereign Majesty, 
a turning away from the Supreme Goodness, a provo- 
cation of the Absolute Holiness ; and on the last day 
all angels and all men, both the saved and the lost, 
will acknowledge the justice of this sentence. 

As often as I deliberately transgressed any Com- 
mandment of God, in a grievous manner, I committed 
a formal act of rebellion similar to that of the Angels, 
I became guilty of a crime the heinousness of which 
in the sight of God and of the Saints is so great as 
to deserve no less a punishment than Hell. If, in 
the very act of sinning, death had cut short my 
earthly existence, I should most certainly have re- 
ceived the same sentence of eternal damnation, while 
heaven and earth would have exclaimed, " Just 
thou art, O Lord, and righteous in Thy judgments ! " 
And if the Angels were cast into Hell for one single 
sin, what have I not deserved for so many ; especially 
after obtaining pardon, not only once, but over and 
over again, through the Blood of Jesus Christ, in the 



THE TRIPLE SIN 59 

Sacrament of Penance? Where should I be most 
justly, at this very moment, except for the Infinite 
Mercy of God? Instead of being allowed to live 
amongst men, a member of Holy Church, in a Re- 
ligious Community, among souls consecrated to God, 
I have deserved, perhaps many times over, to be at 
the bottom of Hell, an object of scorn to the very 
Demons and the other Reprobate. 

But what if, with the grace of God, I never com- 
mitted a mortal sin? Did I not deliberately neglect 
prayer which is so necessary for overcoming tempta- 
tion? Did I not freely indulge in some kind or other 
of venial sin? Did I not thus expose myself to the 
imminent danger of mortal sin? It is owing, then, 
not to my own deserts, but to the Inexhaustible 
Goodness of God, that I did not go down to that 
depth of iniquity from which in one moment I might 
have fallen into the pit of Hell among the rebel 
Angels. Hence I too, indeed, have abundant cause 
for shame and confusion. 

Second Point. The Sin of our First Parents. 

Let us call to mind how. God had made the body 
of Adam most beautiful and perfect, and how He 
had created the soul after His own image and like- 
ness, giving it the full use of all its faculties and en- 
dowing it, besides, with Supernatural Wisdom and 
Sanctifying Grace. Dwelling in the garden of Eden 
as lord of the whole earth, Adam had received for a 
lifelong friend and companion Eve, fashioned by the 
Almighty in every kind of perfection similar to her 
husband. We may contemplate the beauty and pleas- 
antness of their early abode, the limpidity and 
coolness of its springs, the sweetness and variety of 
its fruits, the submission and gentleness of the ani- 



60 SECOND DAY 

mals, and the wondrous virtue of the tree of life 
which insured their freedom from suffering and 
death. Yet this material happiness was only a re- 
flection of their inward peace of soul, resulting from 
their close union with God and the perfect harmony 
of all their faculties. Now, all these benefits were 
intended for one sole object, namely, that both Adam 
and Eve together with their entire offspring, by 
praising, revering, and serving God, might bring 
human nature to its highest perfection and complete 
in themselves the Divine likeness. Thus also this 
earthly paradise was a true vestibule to the Heavenly 
Jerusalem. 

To test the obedience of our First Parents, God had 
forbidden them to eat of the fruit of the tree of 
knowledge. We see at once how just this prohibi- 
tion was, how easy, and how weighty. By respecting 
this Divine injunction, Adam would have secured, 
both for himself and for his posterity, the gift of 
Sanctifying Grace together with many other extraor- 
dinary favors. He was offered a choice between 
the fulness of life, natural and supernatural, and a 
miserable death of body and soul; a choice between 
perfect felicity and utter affliction. 

However, they did eat of the forbidden fruit and 
sinned. Lucifer, the leader of the fallen angels, ap- 
peared to them under the form of a serpent, which 
probably was then, not the insidious and repulsive 
reptile that most men now instinctively avoid, but an 
attractive and even sociable animal. With per- 
fidious cunning he began by tempting Eve, in order 
through her also to seduce Adam. First he sug- 
gested to her fancy that the restriction put upon 
them was in no wise intended for their happiness; 
next he instilled into her heart a desire of becoming 



THE TRIPLE SIN 61 

completely independent of God; and then he drove 
her from this inward disloyalty into open disobedi- 
ence. Eve in turn, by her bad example and insinu- 
ating manner, prevailed upon Adam to set aside the 
Divine Prohibition. 

Their eating of the forbidden fruit, though in itself 
a very small thing, was nevertheless a deliberate and 
wilful act of rebellion against Almighty God. Nor 
was the threatened penalty long in being inflicted. 
That same moment our First Parents were deprived 
of all their Heavenly Graces and special endowments ; 
they were driven out of the terrestrial paradise into 
the wide world which thenceforth was to yield only 
thistles and thorns ; and filled with shame at the lust- 
fulness of their bodies, they were obliged to cover 
them with the skins of animals. They too had 
wanted to have their own way and to be their own 
masters, but they found that their flesh had revolted 
against their spirit and that the whole earth had 
shaken off their former supremacy. Their remain- 
ing life was spent in constant and manifold misery, 
which finally culminated in the terrible ordeal of 
death. Yet all these sufferings would have availed 
them naught to escape eternal perdition, had it not 
been for the Infinite Merits of the Redeemer prom- 
ised them by their most Merciful Creator. But even 
so, what lamentable consequences this one sin en- 
tailed for all their descendants: loss of Sanctifying 
Grace and other precious gifts ; darkness of the mind 
and weakness of the will; subjection of the soul to 
a threefold concupiscence; numberless hardships and 
ailments of the body rapidly preparing the way for 
death. 

We should consider well that this punishment was 
inflicted not on angelic spirits but on human beings, 



62 SECOND DAY 

who in so many respects are dependent on the lowli- 
ness and limitation of matter, and who had been led 
into sin by the deceits of Satan, the implacable 
enemy of God ; that it was inflicted for one single sin 
of disobedience, which had lasted but an instant and 
had soon after been most sincerely detested; that it 
was inflicted by Him Who is infinitely Holy as well 
as infinitely Loving, but Whose Justice was acknowl- 
edged from the first by the Angels and the Demons 
as well as by our guilty Parents, and will be recog- 
nized by the whole human race, on the day of judg- 
ment, for all eternity. 

Consequently, even this awful chastisement, vis- 
ited on Adam and Eve and their entire posterity, 
does not fully correspond to the wickedness of even 
one mortal sin. If I had been placed in the same 
position as Adam, the poison contained in each of 
the offenses committed by me, would have been suf- 
ficient to infect all mankind. What punishment, 
then, can be commensurate with my numerous sins? 
What shame and confusion should I not be made to 
suffer before the whole world on account of so many 
iniquities? What place could I ever claim to oc- 
cupy among my fellow men except the very last and 
lowest? 

But if, through the Mercy of God, I should till now 
have been preserved from mortal sin, I yet have every 
reason to be filled with shame and confusion on ac- 
count of my numberless inordinations in the past; 
and more especially in view of my frequent indul- 
gence of idleness, vanity, self-complacency, anger, im- 
patience, curiosity, sensuality, disobedience, and 
pride. How often, indeed, have I been prevented 
from committing mortal sin, only, as it were, by a 
miraculous intervention of Providence? 



THE TRIPLE SIN 63 

Third Point. The Sin of a Lost Soul. 

There yet remains to be considered a still more 
striking instance of Divine Retribution; the case of 
" some person who for one mortal sin has gone to 
Hell, and many others without number that have 
been condemned for fewer sins than I committed." 
No one can entertain a reasonable doubt about what 
St. Ignatius here proposes to us as a certain truth; 
namely, that many a Soul is actually in Hell in con- 
sequence of one single mortal sin. Hence the in- 
stant doom pronounced on hosts of Angels, for one 
act of rebellion, cannot be accounted for by the fact 
that they had been gifted with a more exalted nature 
than ours ; nor can the severe treatment meted out to 
our First Parents, for their one sin of disobedience, 
be explained on the ground that they had been 
created in original justice. 

But how did such a Soul get to that place of never- 
ending punishment? Let me consider one whose 
natural difficulties, supernatural endowments, and 
various other circumstances were pretty similar to 
those in which I grew up, who was exposed to tempta- 
tions very like those to which I yielded, and who fell 
into exactly the same sin that I also committed. 
Then death overtook that Soul before it returned to 
God, and now it is forever tormented in the un- 
quenchable flames of Hell. If I could ask that Soul, 
"Do you consider your punishment just?" there is 
no doubt as to what it would reply. 

" Yes," I should hear it say, " my punishment is 
eminently just, for I received precisely what I had be- 
fore clearly understood would be the consequence of 
my sin. I knew that God had threatened the sinner 
with everlasting damnation. I knew that in creating 
me out of Pure Goodness He had destined me for 



64 SECOND DAY 

Heaven, and that He had even gone so far as to die for 
me on the Cross in order to bring me to eternal bliss 
and glory. I knew that in His All-Wise and All-Lov- 
ing Providence He had disposed every detail of my life 
for the best. I could easily have abstained from that 
sin, but nevertheless I committed the crime with full 
deliberation and consent. The fact is I wanted to 
be my own master, I insisted on having my own way, 
and I justly went down to Hell. Besides, my pun- 
ishment considered in itself is most appropriate. 
For surely the penalty ought to bear some propor- 
tion to the offense. Therefore, inasmuch as I turned 
away from the Sovereign Good, it should comprise the 
pain of loss; in so far as I abused God's creature, it 
must include also the pain of sense; and since I dared 
to insult His Infinite Majesty, it could not be other 
than eternal. 

" Moreover, this punishment being certainly 
merited was also rightfully inflicted immediately 
after my first mortal sin. For, evidently, the Al- 
mighty was not obliged to suspend in my behalf the 
operation of the natural causes that were about to 
effect my death at the very time when I was bur- 
dened with the guilt of grievous sin. He very sel- 
dom interferes with these created agencies even in 
behalf of those who are innocent. On the contrary, 
the wickedness of mortal sin would rather seem to 
demand that the physical laws be suspended the very 
instant a man attempts to violate the moral laws, so 
that he may forthwith be thrown into Hell as a warn- 
ing to all. Any one who in his frenzy and villainy 
rebels against the Adorable Creator and outrages 
the Absolute Holiness, should expect to be cut off at 
once, like a horrid monster, from human society, and 
to be cast headlong into that moral cesspool of the 



THE TRIPLE SIN 65 

universe which is called Hell. Hence what has hap- 
pened to me has likewise happened to many others, 
who passed into eternity defiled with the guilt of one 
or more mortal sins, and are consequently ever since 
suffering these same inconceivable torments. And 
their number is still increasing every day." Such 
would be the answer of that Soul, if I could question 
it. 

In the light of this fact that so many are lost for 
one single sin, how silly appears the presumption that 
it is easy to avoid Hell after committing a grievous 
offense, and what utter folly it was for me to remain 
so long on the brink of perdition or even within the 
reach of temptation. Where should I be now, if God 
had wished to deal with me as He most justly dealt 
with countless other sinners perhaps far less guilty 
than myself? Is there any humiliation however pro- 
found that I should not look upon as a signal dis- 
tinction in comparison with what I have deserved? 
Is there any practice of penance that I should not be 
eager to adopt with the sanction of my Confessor? 
Should I not gladly prostrate myself on the ground, 
if commanded, and lower myself in the dust before 
every creature? Should I, henceforth, not deem it 
a real honor to be allowed to assist my fellow Reli- 
gious or to serve my neighbor in any office however 
menial, for the sake of God? And shall I still pre- 
sume to find fault with my Companions, their words, 
ways, or actions? Shall I ever again forget myself 
so far as to criticise the management or command of 
my Superior? or to show lack of respect and sub- 
mission towards this legitimate vicegerent of Al- 
mighty God? By my sins, — by my ingratitude, per- 
fidy, degradation, and malice, — I have rendered my- 
self unworthy and unfit not only to be a member of 



66 SECOND DAY 

this Keligious Community but even to have any in- 
tercourse with the rest of mankind. If God had 
treated me as was only right and just, I should long 
since have been an outcast of creation, a prisoner in 
Hell, abandoned to perpetual torment and infamy. 
And even now, the vices fostered by my sins in my 
soul, if they could be seen by my fellow men in all 
their hideousness, would fill them with a most pro- 
found loathing for my person and make them shun 
at any cost my presence and my very neighborhood. 
But what, then, ought to be my shame and confusion 
when appearing in prayer before Almighty God, 
when acknowledging my sins to the Minister of 
Christ, and especially when preparing to receive my 
Adorable Savior in Holy Communion? 

Colloquy. " Imagining Christ our Lord before me 
and placed on the Cross," says St. Ignatius, " I will 
ask Him how, being my Creator, He has deigned to 
make Himself Man, and from eternal life to come to 
temporal death, thus to die for my sins. Again, 
looking at myself, I will inquire what I have done 
for Christ, what I am doing for Christ, what I ought 
to do for Christ. And then seeing Him, the Eternal 
Son of God, thus fastened to the Cross, I will give ex- 
pression to what shall present itself to my mind." 

Kneeling down in spirit on Mount Calvary, my face 
buried in my hands for shame, near those pierced 
feet which I dare not touch with my sinful lips, but 
allowing my tears to mingle with that sacred Blood, 
I will consider that He who is nailed to this awful 
Cross, is the Son of God, coequal with the Eternal 
Father, the Almighty Creator of angels and of men, 
and that now He is racked with bodily suffering, 
consumed with thirst, crushed with anguish, over- 



THE TRIPLE SIN 67 

whelmed with insults, and dying in unutterable tor- 
ments and ignominy, not only on account of the sin 
of Adam and the sins of other men, but in particular 
on account of my personal sins. Yes, my sins made 
Him come down from heaven to earth; my sins fas- 
tened Him to this horrible Cross; my sins inflicted 
this awful punishment on the Son of God. But 
that is also why, in spite of my numberless and shame- 
ful sins, I was called to repentance, why I was even 
favored with a Religious Vocation; whilst so many 
others, millions of men and angels, who committed 
far fewer sins than I, are already buried in the flames 
of Hell. What merciful preference, what singular 
predilection, of Christ the Lord, for me, most 
wretched and ungrateful, sinner! He loved all His 
creatures and He died for all mankind, but me He 
loved and for me He died with special efficacy. O 
wonder of Divine Goodness, beyond all human power 
to express! 

And in return for so much love, what have I done 
for Christ in the past? Surely this is not the first 
time I hear of the Son of God dying for me on the 
Cross. No, I learned this already in early childhood. 
But what return did I make to Him? I offended 
Him by numberless and grievous sins. Can there be 
any ingratitude worse than mine? What am I do- 
ing for Christ now? I am meditating on my sins. 
Am I now at least filled with shame and confusion 
on account of these heinous crimes? Alas, how cold 
and proud I still am ! What ought I to do for Christ 
in the future? I must completely break with sin; I 
must carefully shun all dangerous occasions; I must 
use the means of grace, Confession, Penance, Prayer, 
and Holy Communion; I must strive to do the Will 
of God perfectly, in the observance of my Rules, in 



68 SECOND DAY 

the practice of Obedience, in the fulfilment of my 
Duties, in the exercise of Charity, in the patient and 
joyful bearing of whatever Hardships and Humilia- 
tions He may deign to send me in expiation of my 
sins. In this way, I must remove whatever obstacles 
I have placed so long to the love of His Sacred Heart. 
For though He has no need of us, no need of our la- 
bor, our teaching, or our ministry, yet He longs for 
our love. And love Him I will, at any cost. Sweet 
Heart of Jesus, by my love ! — Our Father. 



MY PERSONAL SINS 

Introductory Remarks.— If I have obtained the 
fruit of the preceding meditation, I shall be fully 
convinced that I am unworthy to be numbered among 
the Chosen Companions of Jesus our Lord; that if 
God had allowed me to run my course and had not 
prevented me, by most unmerited favors, from fall- 
ing into worse sins, I should deserve to be actually 
in the company of hideous Demons and miserable 
Keprobates. This realization will fill me with a most 
salutary and holy confusion, since there is nothing 
so vile, so loathsome, so abominable, as the society of 
the Devils and the Damned. Even to be forced here 
on earth to associate with a gang of convicted 
criminals, with the most vulgar and most degraded 
wretches, would be nothing compared to being cast 
for all eternity into that vast sink of moral impurity 
and infamy, which we call Hell. Once we have suc- 
ceeded in thus realizing where we should deserve to 
be but for the Incomprehensible Love of God, oh! 
how we feel urged to lower our eyes and cover our 
face for very shame, to cast ourselves on the earth in 
profound self-abasement, to humble ourselves before 
all those who represent to us God's Infinite Majesty, 
our Superiors and our Companions, all Men in fact, 
and to render them the most menial and most la- 
borious services with the disposition and the bear- 
ing of a devoted slave. This, indeed, is the only cor- 
rect attitude of mind for every one of us, from which 
we should never depart. 



70 SECOND DAY 

But, besides this deep conviction that I am un- 
worthy to be among the Cherished Companions of 
our Lord, I should have gathered from the preceding 
meditation also a generous resolve to Remove the 
Obstacles which I have placed so long to the Love of 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to render myself less 
unfit to receive those treasures of Grace which He has 
yearned to bestow upon me all along during so many 
years. This is certainly what He looks for on my 
part. 

Meanwhile we should long for the hour when we 
can lay open our inmost soul to the Minister of 
Christ, in the Sacrament of Penance, being deter- 
mined to use this opportunity in order to humble our- 
selves as sincerely and as deeply as possible. As to 
our annual Review, we should bear in mind that the 
object is not so much to have the guilt of our sins 
forgiven — for this, we may trust, was done long 
ago — but to obtain if possible the full remission of 
the penalty and the complete removal of the effects of 
these sins. Oh! might we bring to this Confession 
a contrition like that of St. Aloysius, fainting 
through shame and grief on account of some semi- 
deliberate venial sins, or like that of St. Ignatius, 
doing such terrible penance in the lonely cave near 
Manresa. 

Whatever advice or command anyone may have re- 
ceived, on former occasions, about never mentioning 
again certain faults of the past, for this one Con- 
fession every one should consider himself entirely 
free to go over any part or any sins of his whole life ; 
not, however, from idle scrupulosity or groundless 
fears, but from the desire of obtaining deeper hu- 
mility and greater sorrow. Lastly, whatever doubts 
or difficulties one may have, he should propose them 



MY PERSONAL SINS 71 

in this Confession with childlike openness and 
docility, in order that he may secure perfect peace 
of mind. 

Subject of this Meditation. — My own personal Sins. 

Composition of Place. — The same as in The Triple 
Sin; namely, my soul imprisoned in this corruptible 
body and my whole self in this vale of misery, as it 
were, in exile among brute beasts. That this is not 
an exaggerated figure but a sober truth, must be evi- 
dent to any one who considers how man, though by 
God created king of the universe, is now in conse- 
quence of sin compelled to conceal the nobility and 
beauty of his form under dead vegetable fibers and 
animal skins. 

Petition. — Great and intense grief together with 
abundant and burning tears. 

First Point. The Process or Indictment of My 
Sins. 

This Indictment is to be drawn up by calling to 
mind all the Sins of my past life. Several things 
will help me in this work; the places where I have 
stayed and the houses in which I have dwelled, the 
persons with whom I have lived and the companions 
with whom I have associated, the occupations in 
which I have been engaged and the amusements in 
which I have spent my time. But since I am a Reli- 
gious striving after Perfection, this Indictment or 
Process against myself may include, besides my 
many more or less grievous Offenses, also my count- 
less Inordinations. 

As to the Sins and Faults that have marred our 
Life in the World, we should exert ourselves — either 



72 SECOND DAY 

by a diligent survey, if we have made this meditation 
already several times before, or else by a careful ex- 
amination, if we have never yet entered thoroughly 
into ourselves, — to recall their immense number and 
their various kinds. Without letting our imagina- 
tion dwell on any circumstances that might prove a 
source of disturbance and temptation, we should 
transfer ourselves back to the moment when each sin 
was committed and its guilt was realized, when we 
found ourselves inwardly denied under the very eyes 
of the All-Holy God, our most Loving Creator and 
Father. It will also be very useful on this occasion 
to arrange those sins under a few heads, so that we 
can always keep their recollection vividly before our 
mind. But as to the Sins and Faults of our Reli- 
gious Life, we should search them out with great 
earnestness and sincerity, especially those committed 
since our last Retreat. For we are extremely prone 
to hide from ourselves our real defects, and to trouble 
ourselves less about our true failings than about the 
consequences of our failings. We must, therefore, en- 
deavor to go to the root of the evil, to discover the 
cause or motive of our faults; for instance, why we 
break silence, why usually at such a time, why fre- 
quently with such a person, and so forth. 

Again we should strive to examine our conscience 
and to estimate our sins in the light of the Divine 
Holiness and Justice, to judge of our guilt as we 
shall be judged when standing before the tribunal 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, utterly discarding all the 
vain excuses and paltry extenuations with which we 
are accustomed to hide from ourselves our own iniqui- 
ties, and even presume to make them a matter of 
self-commiseration and self-complacency. We must 
resolutely tear off the false mask we are habitually 



MY PERSONAL SINS 73 

wearing, in order to see ourselves as we really are 
in the sight of God, the infinitely Pure Spirit, and 
as we are seen by our Guardian Angels and Patron 
Saints. How could we afterwards, as we in- 
tend to do, lay bare in confession our inmost soul, 
if we remain satisfied, as usual, with an indolent, 
superficial, self-blinded, self -approving review of the 
past? Hence, to draw up this Indictment against 
ourselves truthfully and sincerely, we need a very 
special Grace, and for this we should pray most ear- 
nestly. Even after having made this meditation 
dozens of times in successive annual Retreats, there 
is still ample room for forming a more correct esti- 
mate of our sinfulness and for conceiving a corre- 
spondingly more intense Shame and Confusion. 

Second Point. ' ' To Weigh My Sins, considering 
the foulness and malice that every mortal sin con- 
tains in itself, even supposing it were not forbidden.' ' 
In fact, sin is not bad because it is forbidden, but sin 
is forbidden because it is bad, because it clashes with 
the harmony of creation, because it is destructive of 
all order, well-being, progress, and happiness. But 
without indulging in any philosophical speculations, 
let us strive to realize first the Folly or Frenzy of 
sin, secondly the Malice or Fiendishness of sin, and 
thirdly the Foulness or Villainy of sin. 

The Folly or Frenzy of Sin and, consequently, also 
of the Sinner. — Here we may note; first, the Blind- 
ness of Sin, because God forbids only what is con- 
trary to our real Welfare and our true Happiness; 
then, the Madness of Sin, inasmuch as by sinning 
man cuts himself loose, forever, from God, the Source 
of all Blessing, on Whom he is actually dependent 
for his very life ; and lastly, the Insolence of Sin, con- 



74 SECOND DAY 

sidering a mere, puny creature disobeys God's Im- 
maculate Law, violates God's Inalienable Eight, 
offends God's Infinite Majesty, and commits these 
outrages in God's Immediate Presence, that Pres- 
ence which fills with awe the loftiest Seraphim. 

The Malice or Fiendishness of Sin and, conse- 
quently, of the Sinner. — Here we may observe first, 
the Cruelty of Sin, how it upsets our organic Func- 
tions, poisons our Blood, impairs our nervous Sys- 
tem, soils our Memory, obscures our Intellect, en- 
feebles our Will; in a word, how it undermines our 
bodily, mental, and moral Energy. Secondly, we can 
view the Malignity of Sin, how it infects our neigh- 
bor worse than the most Contagious and Virulent 
Plague, not only by positive seduction or complicity, 
but also by the inevitable scandal of bad example and 
the downward influence of evil dispositions ; in short, 
how Sin tends to inflict on our fellow men the same 
Harm as it does on ourselves. Thirdly, we should 
dwell on the Atrocity of Sin, how it destroys our 
Heavenly Merits, kills our Supernatural Life, and 
thus brings on us an Everlasting Punishment. 

The Foulness or Villainy of Sin and, consequently, 
of the Sinner. — Here we may consider; first, the 
monstrous Ingratitude of Sin, inasmuch as we not 
only abuse God's own Gifts but actually turn against 
Him the very Proofs of His Love; then, the utter 
Degradation of Sin, for by sinning man lowers him- 
self to the very Level of the Beast, preferring to be 
ruled by his Sensual Passions and to be enslaved by 
his Animal Instincts, instead of being guided by 
Keason and by Faith; lastly, the Horrible Treason 
of the Sinner against God, presuming, as he does, to 
refuse the Service that is absolutely Due to his Al- 
mighty Creator and attempting to cast off the 



MY PERSONAL SINS 75 

Dominion of his Sovereign Lord, intending, in fact, 
as far as lies in him, to annihilate the Infinite Good- 
ness. 

Now, what practical conclusion am I to draw from 
this very imperfect analysis of the Foulness and 
Malice of Sin? Though even the smallest sin is so 
great an evil as to defy all human power of expres- 
sion, yet evidently the answer to this question must 
depend somewhat on whether my transgressions of 
the Ten Commandments have been mortal or venial. 
In the first case, I ought to realize with shame and 
sorrow, that in view of my sins I have no right to ex- 
pect anything but to be designated and treated by 
everybody as a downright maniac, a dangerous fiend, 
and a despicable villain. In the other case, know- 
ing that, except for the special protection of Heaven, 
I certainly should have forfeited Sanctifying Grace 
in consequence of my innumerable faults, and that 
even though none of them constituted in itself a 
grievous offense, yet they were all deliberate and 
wilful violations of the Divine Law, I ought to 
realize with humility and contrition, that I deserve 
to be looked upon and dealt with by my fellow men 
as one guilty of countless acts of indescribable folly, 
cruelty, and baseness. But in either case, the fruit 
of this Second Point should consist in a genuine hor- 
ror and an intense hatred of my wicked self. 

Third Point. Who am I that Committed so many 
Acts of inconceivable Frenzy, Fiendishness, and 
Villainy? 

What am I in comparison with the other members 
of this Community, with the other subjects of my 
Order or Congregation? How easy it is to fill the 
place of any Religious, even though he be an efficient 



76 SECOND DAY 

teacher, or an eloquent speaker, or an able adminis- 
trator; and how soon is the loss forgotten! Not 
seldom, in fact, far from being a regrettable loss, 
his death is felt to be a distinct relief. Some Reli- 
gious, either through their own fault or through 
bodily infirmity, become a real burden, though borne 
with patience and charity. What, then, am I in 
comparison with all those actually living on this 
earth in the state of Sanctifying Grace? What, in 
comparison with all the Saints and Angels in heaven, 
myriads of blissful and glorious spirits, together with 
their most exalted Queen, the Immaculate Virgin 
Mary? What, then, can I be in comparison with 
Almighty God, whom I have dared to insult so often 
by my Sins? Less than a grain of sand on the sea- 
shore, less than a tiny drop in the ocean, less than a 
mere atom in the universe. 

Again, what am I as to my material component, my 
body? How great and manifold is even its present 
misery, the consequence of original and actual sin! 
In how many ways it is exposed to injury, to how 
many diseases it may fall a victim! And what 
will it be a few hours after death but a disgusting 
mass of corruption? Yet the misery of my body is 
only a faint image of the wretchedness of my spiritual 
component, my soul. To what else can I liken my 
soul, from which have issued so many sins, so many 
iniquities, but to a hideous sore or a loathsome ab- 
scess? In fact, what thoughts usually occupy my 
understanding even in Eeligion? — vanity, self-com- 
placency, pride, — what desires are cherished by my 
will ? — self -exaltation, envy, resentment, — what 
recollections haunt my memory? what images fill my 
fancy? what cravings engross my heart? — sensual- 
ity, self-indulgence, worldliness. 



MY PERSONAL SINS 77 

Fourth Point. Who is God against Whom I have 
Sinned? 

Just as my own nothingness, so His Essential 
Greatness is altogether beyond my power of concep- 
tion. How immeasurably high, for instance, His 
Sovereign Wisdom soars above my extreme ignorance ! 
God knows all things without any obscurity or con- 
fusion; and each thing individually, down to its 
minutest details and most intimate composition, with 
the same perfection and clearness as all. Truly, 
everything is naked and open to His eyes; yes, even 
the deepest recesses of the human heart. He knows 
me at this moment with absolute completeness and 
certainty, even my future is seen by Him as dis- 
tinctly as my present and my past. What is more, 
He knows with equal precision how I would act un- 
der any possible circumstances which will never be- 
come real. Besides, He knows thus not only every 
single being that He ever created, but also the innu- 
merable other beings which He might, but never will 
create. And all this Immense Knowledge He exer- 
cises unceasingly by one absolutely Single Act which 
is identical with His own Divine Substance. Con- 
trasted with this Infinite Intelligence, what is all 
the boasted science of mankind but dense stupidity? 
Yet how infinitesimal is my personal share in the 
hazy, crude, and superficial notions men have so la- 
boriously acquired in the course of so many cen- 
turies? 

Again, what incalculable distance there is between 
His Unlimited Power and my utter weakness! 
What stand, for instance, could I make against the 
crash of a thunderbolt, or against the rush of a 
cyclone, or against the descent of an avalanche? 
What resistance could I offer to the shock of an 



78 SECOND DAY 

earthquake, or to the motion of the tide, or to the 
impact of a planet? But how inconceivably help- 
less, then, I would be in face of all the forces of the 
universe combined! Yet God moves them with 
His finger, yea, by a Mere Act of His Will. " He 
spoke and they were made, He commanded and they 
were created." 

Once more, what point of contact can there be be- 
tween His Supreme Goodness and my abject in- 
iquity? I, so injurious to myself, so offensive to my 
fellow men, and so unjust towards God; He, infinitely 
Perfect in Himself, most Liberal towards all His 
creatures, and towards me in particular so Loving 
and so Merciful. This last consideration, especially, 
should overwhelm me with shame and confusion, fill 
me with burning contrition, and make me shed bitter 
tears of grief. Here I may call to mind how many 
extraordinary proofs I have received all along of 
God's Tender Love and Admirable Solicitude, not 
only before I began to lead a life of sin but even 
during my most heinous excesses. At my first Holy 
Communion, what sweet attractions, what powerful 
impulses I felt in His Adorable Presence! Already 
then He desired to possess my soul as His spouse. 
Yet what subsequent forgetfulness, unfaithfulness, 
ingratitude, and rebellion; what abuse of all His 
gifts and favors; what wanton destruction of every 
trace of His Divine Likeness ! Who could even with 
tears of blood wash away so many hateful offenses 
committed by so vile a wretch against a God so Gra- 
cious and so Good? 

Fifth Point. Consequent Feelings of Wonder. 
After this, surely, I ought to be lost in astonish- 
ment, wondering how God's faithful creatures could 



MY PERSONAL SINS 79 

suffer me to live at all, and even assist me in prolong- 
ing my sinful existence; how the Angels that ever 
stand ready to avenge any insult offered to the Di- 
vine Majesty have guarded me in all my ways; how 
the very Saints and the Immaculate Virgin herself 
have constantly prayed and interceded for me; how 
the sun and the earth, fire and water, plants and 
animals, and thousands of my fellow men, have kept 
ministering to my wants and even to my pleasures, 
at the very time when by my crimes I deserved that 
the ground should open under my feet and cause me 
to drop, body and soul, to the very bottom of Hell. 

Colloquy, as in the preceding meditation, at the 
feet of Christ our Lord, Who for love of me came 
down from the inaccessible throne of His Majesty, 
and now, in my behalf and on my account, is dying 
in the most atrocious torments and the most pro- 
found ignominy, nailed naked to this frightful Cross. 
I will beg again with all the energy of my soul, for 
intense and perfect contrition, for bitter and abun- 
dant tears; a contrition that may cause me also to 
faint for shame and grief; a contrition like that of 
St. Peter, St. Mary Magdalen, St. Mary of Egypt, 
St. Margaret of Cortona, St. Rose of Lima, or Bl. 
Margaret Mary Alacoque. I will also render most 
sincere and heartfelt thanks to God, my Savior, for 
preserving my sinful existence till now, for opening 
my eyes to see the frenzy, the fiendishness, and the 
villainy of my numberless iniquities: and I will re- 
new my determination, with the help of His grace, to 
labor at my thorough amendment for the future; to 
begin a new life free not only from sin but also from 
inordination ; and, as far as possible, to do daily pen- 
ance for the past. Yes, henceforth I will do all the 



80 SECOND DAY 

penance I can, in accordance with the Holy Will of 
God, in keeping with my Keligious Duties, in com- 
pliance with the inspirations of Grace, and in con- 
formity with the advice of my Confessor. — Our 
Father. 



EMENDATION OF LIFE 

We are all more or less suffering from tepidity and 
routinism; we know it, we regret it, but we seldom 
go to the root of this evil, which is our lack of self- 
knowledge, our neglect of self-examination. Our 
mind may be daily crossed by multitudes of frivolous, 
self-complacent, uncharitable thoughts, of which we 
take no more notice than persons addicted to pro- 
fanity do of the number and character of their curse- 
words; while our heart may be so completely taken 
up with the attractions of sensible objects, that we 
are continually led astray by the inordinate tend- 
encies of our Nature and almost blindly follow 
the suggestions of the Devil, often without realizing 
our danger till it is too late. These habitual dis- 
positions of mind and heart are so closely interwoven 
with our daily lives that they may for some time 
escape the attention even of the vigilant and fervent, 
thus paralyzing their efforts towards Perfection. 
Without the grace of God it would be well-nigh im- 
possible to detect them. Still, while putting our 
trust in the Divine Mercy, we ought also to do our 
own share by making a searching Examination of 
Conscience. The faults set forth in this Conference, 
being largely the record of an individual soul, are 
intended only to give an idea how one ought to 
scrutinize his past conduct at this stage of the Re- 
treat. But this indirect self-accusation, of course, 
does not pretend to furnish anything like an ex- 



82 SECOND DAY 

haustive list of the defects to which Religious may 
be subject, and hence it may profitably be supple- 
mented from other sources according to each one's 
personal needs. 

I will, then, examine myself seriously, — not my 
Companions, much less my Superiors, but my own 
inmost heart, — before God, my Heavenly Father, my 
Sovereign Lord, and my Unerring Judge, after first 
humbly imploring the Light and Grace of His Holy 
Spirit. 

I will examine whether I am in the habit of offend- 
ing against both the Vow and the Virtue of 
Poverty by disposing of things independently, that 
is, without the sanction of Superiors. Or while 
keeping my Vow, do I perhaps sin against the 
Virtue of Poverty by being unduly attached to 
the goods of this world or to the articles given 
me for my use; by desiring greater conveniences 
or something above and beyond what is neces- 
sary; by retaining clothes, furniture, books, or 
other objects of which I have no longer any need; 
or by allowing what has not been put under my spe- 
cial care, to be spoiled, wasted, or lost? When out- 
siders make me a present, do I insist on leaving it 
with the Superior, that he may dispose of it as he 
may think best in the Lord? Do I sometimes elicit 
such presents by hinting to outsiders at my needs or 
tastes? Do I keep such presents for my own use, 
without asking leave? Or again, have I violated 
Poverty, by giving to relatives, friends, or pupils, 
expensive rosaries, valuable pictures, and such like 
objects ; acting, perhaps, under the spell of some spir- 
itual illusion? 

I will examine whether I am habitually neglectful 



EMENDATION OF LIFE 83 

of the safeguards of both the Vow and the Virtue of 
Chastity; namely, the custody of my senses, espe- 
cially my eyes and my touch, the custody of my 
imagination from all dangerous representations or 
recollections, the custody of my mind from all curi- 
osity about things the knowledge of which we should 
leave to the disposition of Providence; and the cus- 
tody of my heart from all particular friendship or 
sensual affection. Again, do I resist temptations 
with sufficient promptitude and with exclusive trust 
in God? 

With regard to the Vow and the Virtue of Obedi- 
ence, I will examine whether I am in the habit of recog- 
nizing, revering, and loving in my Superior, only the 
Adorable Person of Jesus Christ, of Whom he is the 
true representative, approved by our Holy Father 
the Pope, the Successor of St. Peter, and, hence, re- 
ferred to by our Divine Lord when He said, "Who- 
ever heareth you heareth Me, and whoever despiseth 
you despiseth Me." Or have I perhaps accustomed my- 
self to see in my Superior only a man, endowed with 
various natural qualities, good or bad, and to obey 
him from temporal, worldly, or selfish motives? If 
so, I should consider that I have entirely failed in 
the most essential obligation of my Sacred Profes- 
sion, and that I have been a Religious only in name, 
but not in deed ; and that I must bend all my efforts 
to live henceforth a life of Supernatural Obedience 
animated by Faith. Have I spoken or acted disre- 
spectfully towards my Superiors, and if so have I 
done all I could to make up for such an insult to the 
Divine Majesty? Do I obey promptly and exactly 
in execution, lovingly and cheerfully in will, blindly 
and intelligently in judgment? Am I in the habit 



84 SECOND DAY 

of obeying the sign of the bell, both for community 
exercises and for personal duties, just as if it were 
the voice of our Blessed Lord? Do I ever criticise 
the arrangements or orders of my Superior, merely 
in thought, or also in words, either privately by 
breaking perhaps the Eule of silence, or publicly and 
thus destroying the peace of the Community? Do I 
ever go so far as to judge and condemn his inten- 
tions? Have I, perhaps, committed such serious 
faults even more or less habitually? It may be well 
for me to remember, what some Religious seem to 
ignore, that irreverence and disobedience towards 
Superiors are violations of the Fourth Command- 
ment, just as breaches of poverty are of the Seventh, 
and offenses against chastity of the Sixth. Simi- 
larly, one may sin against the Fourth Commandment 
by disrespect for those who are much older in Reli- 
gion or for those who have been raised to the Priest- 
hood. Lastly, I will examine whether I practise 
towards my Superiors that childlike openness even 
with regard to matters of conscience — my desire of 
perfection, my success in prayer, my use of the Sac- 
raments, my conduct in temptation, — which is so 
strongly recommended by the Saints and so conducive 
to progress and perseverance. 

I will examine whether I observe Enclosure, that 
is, Separation from the World, both physical and 
spiritual. Am I in the habit of looking for current 
news or for intercourse with outsiders? Have I ever 
presumed to communicate with relatives, friends, 
or pupils, by word or by letter, without the approval 
of my Superior? Do I strive to keep my heart con- 
stantly united to God, and occupied not with the 
fleeting shadows of earth but with the lasting reali- 



EMENDATION OF LIFE 85 

ties of heaven, not with the temporal concerns of 
those whom I have left in the world, but with the 
spiritual interests of my Divine Lord and His Holy 
Church, the salvation and sanctification of men? Is 
it only through obedience and from a supernatural 
motive, that I assist at games, entertainments, pic- 
nics, excursions, and similar gatherings? 

I will examine myself, as to my Meditation, Office, 
and other Spiritual Duties; whether I perform them 
through mere routine or put into them fresh fervor 
and love day after day ; whether I am exact in keep- 
ing the " Additions " ; whether I give the full time 
to my Examinations of Conscience, spending it in 
earnest prayer and not in distractions; whether 
I attend faithfully and energetically to my Par- 
ticular Examen; and whether, as far as my health 
permits, I preserve at all Devotional Exercises, both 
public and private, a reverential and manly attitude. 

I will examine myself with regard to Practices of 
Mortification and Humiliation, fasting, abstinence, 
discipline, girdle, waiting at table, public self-ac- 
cusation, and similar means of self-abasement. Do 
I embrace every one of these precious opportunities, 
as far as I am permitted, with an ardent desire of 
atoning for my past sins and of becoming like to my 
Crucified Lord, or am I, perhaps, also in this vital 
matter, a slave to routinism and a sample of tepidity? 

I will examine myself as to my Daily Occupations. 
Do I apply myself to my appointed task from a spirit 
of cheerful obedience, sincere humility, and ardent 
charity? In other words, do I labor from supernat- 
ural motives; or from natural reasons; for instance, 
because I have to in order to get on at all, or because 



86 SECOND DAY 

I wish to stand well with the Superior or the Com- 
munity, or because I like to indulge my inborn ac- 
tivity and love of distraction, or because I look on my 
work as a means of maintenance, a source of sup- 
port for the House? Do I prefer the humbler 
charges and the harder duties, at least as far as my 
strength will allow? And while I am engaged in 
these occupations, do I strive to keep my heart on 
God, or do I allow myself to be wholly engrossed with 
my task, giving way to impatience, precipitation, 
dissipation, uncharitableness, suspicion, faultfind- 
ing? 

I will examine myself on Silence, whether I have 
failed in its observance under ordinary circum- 
stances or have presumed to talk even during times 
and in places of Great Silence; and whether I break 
it through childish levity, or through particular 
friendship, or to vent my uncharitable thoughts and 
feelings, or perhaps to get others to support me in 
my criticism of Superiors. Especially in this last 
case, I ought to humble myself deeply before God, 
considering that unless I diligently correct and duly 
expiate such faults, I run a great risk of eventually 
forfeiting my Keligious Vocation. Again, have I 
kept strict Silence during these holy Exercises? 
Without Silence, I need not expect to reap from the 
Retreat any other fruit than an increased responsi- 
bility for neglecting the grace of God. 

I will examine myself as to my Speech, whether I 
have always been truthful, or whether I have told 
falsehoods, through vanity, fear, or flattery. Have I 
misrepresented matters to Superiors in order to gain 
my point? Have I made unwarrantable mental 



EMENDATION OF LIFE 87 

reservations? Am I in the habit of exaggerating 
things; am I fond of using superlatives? Do I 
strive to be truthful also in my Thoughts, by check- 
ing all self-complacency in my work, my talents, or 
my success, and by not substituting fancies for facts, 
assumptions for proofs, prejudices and prepossessions 
for unbiased opinions? 

I will examine with regard to Fraternal Charity, 
whether I have offended against this sovereign virtue, 
in thought, in word, in deed, or by omission. Have I 
indulged in rash judgments, have I yielded to envy, 
have I harbored, even for a moment, feelings of re- 
sentment? Have I brought unfounded or false ac- 
cusations against any of my fellow Religious, or re- 
ported every detail of their conduct and every word 
from their lips, as if I were a salaried spy, or as if 
they were perfidious enemies and sworn traitors? 
Have I in any other way injured their reputation 
with Superiors, companions, or outsiders. When I 
come from another House, do I take care not to talk 
of its affairs or inmates, except in such wise as will 
edify my hearers? Have I been cold and unsympa- 
thetic towards my Religious Brethren: showing 
no concern for their troubles and sufferings; attrib- 
uting their ailments to their imagination; taking 
offense at their peculiarities because different from 
my own; making no allowances for nationality, tem- 
perament, education, age, and so forth ; holding them 
up as cranks because they do not share my views or 
my ways of speaking and acting, or even because 
they are more strict in the observance of the Rules, 
more fervent in the practice of self-denial and pen- 
ance; meddling and finding fault with their dis- 
charge of official duties or with their personal habits ; 



88 SECOND DAY 

ignoring, slighting, ridiculing, or exasperating them 
through either thoughtlessness or malice? Do I 
strive to be present at the common recreation, not 
only in body, but also in mind and heart? Do I 
take the necessary precaution not to be hindered from 
this very important duty; or, on the contrary, do 
I perhaps avail myself of every excuse to absent my- 
self? If I gave any scandal, have I taken care to 
repair it fully? Even for Keligious it is well to 
bear in mind the words of St. John (1:4:20) : "If 
any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he 
is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom 
he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not? " 

Lastly, I will examine whether I have been con- 
stant and earnest in striving after the Perfection of 
Divine Love, after intimate Union with God. Have 
I been careful and eager to avail myself of all the 
means put at my disposal by my holy Institute to 
fulfil this chief obligation of the Eeligious State, 
to reach this one object for which I was honored with 
a Special Vocation? Have I at least striven to keep 
alive and nourish in my heart the desire of Evangeli- 
cal Perfection, the resolution of treading in the foot- 
steps of my holy Founder and his saintly Children? 
Or, have I perhaps been satisfied with the life of an 
ordinary Christian, avoiding grievous sins but neg- 
lecting the promptings of the Holy Spirit? Again, 
instead of working for the approbation of the Most 
High, have I perhaps degraded myself to labor for 
the praise of my fellow men, or to curry favor with 
my Superiors, in a spirit of servility or ambition; 
endeavoring to ingratiate myself by the simulation 
of sentiments and opinions I did not entertain, or by 
the dissimulation of my real thoughts and feelings; 



EMENDATION OF LIFE 89 

by rendering them acts of service that belonged to 
another's office; by signifying exaggerated or indis- 
creet approval of their views, their plans, their words, 
their actions; or by practising any other unworthy 
tricks and false devices? If so, I have surely good 
reason to fear that I too shall be counted amongst 
those who have received their reward here below, and 
who for the sake of some passing gratification or some 
trifling preferment have jeopardized their eternal 
crown of bliss and glory in Heaven. Besides, who 
can estimate the immense harm which the introduc- 
tion of this political spirit into a Religious Com- 
munity will cause not only to the actual members 
but even to many future generations? Oh! if in my 
past conduct I detect any indications of my having 
been a time-server, a sycophant, a politician, I must 
use every effort to break completely and forever with 
such a detestable, subversive, and irreligious pro- 
cedure. 

In conclusion, these are serious consideration, and 
each one should make a similar examination of his 
own actual condition, humbly and sincerely, in the 
Presence of God, our All-Knowing and All-Holy 
Judge, setting aside the deceitful excuses of self- 
love and despising all the perfidious pretexts of 
Satan. But we must not rest satisfied with a clear 
knowledge of our failings; we should exert ourselves 
still more earnestly to conceive a true sorrow, an 
intense contrition for our faults. For this end, we 
should help ourselves also by a wholesome fear, re- 
membering that God is not mocked, that we must be- 
ware of exhausting His Patience and Mercy by our 
folly and ingratitude, that by our infidelities and our 
sins we are in danger of losing the priceless pearl of 



90 SECOND DAY 

our holy Vocation, which the Saints sought and kept 
at the cost of the greatest privations and sufferings. 
But on the other hand, we must also bear in mind 
that God will not despise a contrite and humble 
heart, and that like St. Paul, we can do all things in 
Him Who strengthens us. 



SIN, INORDINATION, AND 
WORLDLINESS 

Subject of this Meditation. — A repetition of the 
two preceding exercises, followed by a triple 
colloquy. 

Composition of Place. — " To see with the eyes of 
the imagination and to consider that my soul is im- 
prisoned in this corruptible body, and my whole self 
in this vale of misery, as it were, in exile among brute 
beasts : my whole self, body and soul." 

Petition. — Intense shame and deep confusion 
joined to great grief and burning tears, for all my 
iniquities. 

First Part. A Repetition of the two Preceding 
Meditations. 

This repetition will prove very beneficial, if, in 
going over the successive points of The Triple Sin 
and My Personal Sins, we take care to impress 
on our minds and to treasure up in our hearts par- 
ticularly those considerations in which we have ex- 
perienced either a stronger disgust or a greater rel- 
ish. The points of The Triple Sin were: the sin of 
the Angels, the sin of Adam and Eve, and the sin of 
many a Soul lost in consequence of one mortal sin 
or of fewer sins than I committed. The points of 
My Personal Sins were: an indictment of all my 
sins; their frenzy, fiendishness, and villainy; my 



92 SECOND DAY 

insignificance, my bodily corruption, and my 
spiritual misery; my ignorance, weakness, and 
malice in contrast with the Wisdom, Power, and 
Goodness of God; lastly, the Admirable Mercy of 
my Lord and Creator in bearing with me so long, so 
patiently, and so lovingly. 

In this repetition, then, I should especially strive 
to bring home to myself that, if ever I committed 
even one grievous sin, I acted like a maniac, a fiend, 
a villain, and deserved to be buried for all eternity 
in the flames of Hell with the demons and the 
damned; that if ever I committed even one venial 
sin, deliberately offending God, my Absolute Mas- 
ter and Supreme Benefactor, I did something very 
foolish, cruel, and base, while besides I put myself 
on the highroad to mortal sin and to everlasting per- 
dition. I should note particularly that all this holds 
good of sin committed by man, as he is by Unregen- 
erate Nature, an intelligent and free being. How in- 
conceivably more heinous, therefore, sin must be in a 
person raised by Sanctifying Grace to the dignity of 
an adopted Child of God, in a Soul daily nourished 
with the Adorable Body of Christ our Lord, in a Ke- 
ligious entirely consecrated to the Special Service of 
the Most High ! 

It cannot be emphasized sufficiently that all with- 
out exception stand very much in need of the graces 
asked for in these meditations on sin; namely, deep 
shame, intense contrition, abundant tears. For 
either we have as yet kept our baptismal innocence or 
else we have contracted grievous guilt. Now, on the 
one hand, those favored souls who, owing to a most 
unmerited mercy of God and in spite of their nu- 
merous inordinations and venial faults, were pre- 
served from falling into mortal sin, should labor 



SIN, INORDINATION, WORLDLINESS 93 

with the utmost earnestness to conceive a burning 
and lasting contrition for all their past infidelities, 
because otherwise, not sufficiently realizing that 
their freedom from grievous guilt is a pure gift of 
God, they will remain very deficient in humility and 
watchfulness, and consequently may find themselves 
sooner or later exposed to strong temptations and 
terrible dangers. This is why some Eeligious that 
left the world before they knew its corruption, after 
spending many years within the holy walls of the 
convent, sometimes even lose their Vocation and die 
like reprobates. Others, without going quite so far, 
habitually indulge in a multiplicity of venial faults, 
and consequently lead very imperfect and unhappy 
lives, precisely because they never humbled them- 
selves completely in their own inmost hearts, in the 
sight of Almighty God, at the feet of the Minister 
of Christ. But, on the other hand, those who have 
had the misfortune of committing mortal sin, just 
as they far surpassed the more highly favored in 
wickedness so they should also strive to surpass them 
in penance. Now it does happen that the contrary 
is found, either because such persons never yet ex- 
erted themselves to obtain that overwhelming con- 
fusion and ardent contrition with which even a 
single mortal sin should fill every upright soul, or 
else because they neglected to intensify these dis- 
positions of shame and sorrow in proportion to their 
growing knowledge of God and their increasing years 
in Religion. Also Religious of this description have 
good reason to fear that their lukewarmness and 
routinism will eventually drag them down to spir- 
itual death and eternal perdition. Therefore, to 
whichever class we belong, we must strive to produce 
genuine fruits of penance, and for this purpose apply 



94 SECOND DAY 

ourselves to these meditations on sin with the utmost 
energy and fervor. The deeper our confusion, the 
greater our shame, the more bitter our grief, and the 
more copious our tears, the more certain and 
thorough also will be our amendment, the more con- 
stant and rapid likewise our progress in Perfection. 
For the future, our customary acts of contrition 
ought to be very different from what they have been 
but too often in the past. 

Second Part. The Triple Colloquy. 

This Triple Colloquy prescribed by St. Ignatius, is 
intended to complete the cleansing of our soul from 
sin, of our heart from inordinate desires, and of our 
mind from worldly views. The First Colloquy is di- 
rected to our Lady, that she may implore for me from 
her Son and Lord these Three Graces: first, an inti- 
mate Knowledge and real Hatred of all my Sins, so 
that I may never commit them again ; secondly, a keen 
Perception and profound Abhorrence of my manifold 
Inordinations, so that I may amend my whole con- 
duct; thirdly, a clear Recognition and utter Detesta- 
tion of the World, so that I may rid myself of 
everything worldly or vain. The Second Colloquy 
is addressed to our Divine Redeemer that He may 
obtain for me the same Three Graces from the Eternal 
Father. The Third Colloquy is made to God the 
Father that He, in His Infinite Mercy, may grant 
me these same Three Graces. 

First Grace; an intimate Knowledge and real 
Hatred of all my Sins, that I may never commit them 
again. My hatred of Sin will always be exactly pro- 
portional to my knowledge. It is because I do not 
sufficiently realize the true character of Sin, its 
frenzy, its fiendishness, and its villainy, that I am so 



SIN, INORDINATION, WORLDLINESS 95 

negligent about the avoidance of temptation and so 
remiss in the practice of penance. Hence natural 
reason alone is not enough; I need supernatural il- 
lumination, to give me that intimate knowledge of 
Sin which will make me flee with horror from any 
future consent and will cause me to embrace eagerly 
every means of expiating my past indulgence. The 
more fully I shall become convinced of this evident 
truth, that Sin is the greatest of all evils and, in fact, 
the only evil I have to fear, the more spontaneous 
will be my flight from any temptation to Sin, how- 
ever alluring its aspect or painful its rejection, and 
the more insatiable will grow my longing for every 
form of mortification and humiliation to purify my 
heart from the effects of Sin. 

Second Grace; a keen Perception and profound 
Abhorrence of my manifold Inordinations, that I 
may amend my whole conduct. Since Inordination 
is the root of Sin, I am not likely to keep from Sin, 
unless I labor to destroy Inordination. My past life 
has been full of Inordination, of spiritual Disorder, 
inasmuch as I have habitually thought, spoken, and 
acted, without first considering the Adorable Will of 
God, my Creator and Lord. If I am really in earnest 
about my amendment, I must cease to have my own 
way, to do as I please, to follow slavishly the prompt- 
ings of my Fallen Nature. It is this widespread 
leaven of Inordination that till now has vitiated by 
far the greater part of my conscious existence, and 
prevented me from devoting all my energy to the 
service of the Most High. For every Inordination 
is an exhibition of injustice and ingratitude towards 
God, a piece of self-stultification and self-injury, an 
abuse and profanation of the creature. With what 
ardor, therefore, I should implore this grace of keenly 



96 SECOND DAY 

discerning and deeply abhorring all the Disorder 
of my past life, and of henceforth regulating the 
activity of my senses and faculties only by the Di- 
vine Will in whatever way manifested. 

Third Grace; a clear Recognition and utter De- 
testation of the World, that I may completely rid 
my mind of all its deceit and vanity. Just as Sin is 
the consequence of Inordination, so Inordination is 
the result of Worldliness. The World comprises all 
those who lead a merely natural existence and labor 
exclusively for earthly interests, while entirely neg- 
lectful of the supernatural life and of the endless 
hereafter. Their chief concern is " to have a good 
time." Hence, the World embodies the spirit of nat- 
uralism, materialism, and unbelief. It stands for 
the unrestrained and unremitting pursuit of health, 
comfort, enjoyment, wealth, distinction, and inde- 
pendence. Its views and doctrines are diametrically 
opposed to the principles and teachings of Christ and 
His Saints, to the Evangelical Counsels and the 
Eight Beatitudes. I was infected with this worldly 
spirit already before my birth, I lived many years 
in the midst of this pestilential atmosphere, and even 
in Religion I cannot altogether escape its poisonous 
breath. No wonder, therefore, if I should detect in 
myself a more or less considerable residue of World- 
liness. "We offend people by our poor clothes." — 
" A person cannot live without some fun." — " With- 
out money we can do nothing." — " Why should I still 
be treated like a little novice?" — "I am not going 
to let everybody walk over me." — " Don't try to be 
better than the rest." Surely, these and other such 
sentiments are neither based on sound reason nor in- 
spired by the Holy Ghost. I should pray, then, for 
abundant grace, not only to recognize clearly the 



SIN, INORDINATION, WORLDLINESS 97 

blatant sophistry and worthless tinsel of the World, 
but also to detest it so thoroughly as to break forever 
with its deceitful maxims and pernicious tendencies. 

In conclusion, let us strive to make this Triple 
Colloquy with all possible humility, confidence, and 
fervor. If we should derive from our whole Retreat 
no other fruit than these Three Graces, it would still 
be the best we ever made. It is because we have till 
now been wanting in this real Hatred of Sin, this 
profound Abhorrence of Inordination, this utter De- 
testation of Worldliness, it is because there has been 
as yet no entire conversion of our mind and heart 
to God, the Absolute Holiness, the Sovereign Truth, 
the Infinite Goodness, that our desires to advance 
in perfection have proved so ineffectual and 
ephemeral. 

In making this Triple Colloquy, says St. Ignatius, 
" I should in spirit prostrate myself before the throne 
of the Eternal Father, at whose right is seated Christ 
our Lord, and next to Him the Most Holy Virgin 
Mary, all three looking down on me with eyes full 
of the tenderest pity and love." Then addressing 
first our Heavenly Mother, I should plead my cause 
with her, in childlike simplicity and candor, insist- 
ing on my extreme misery, on my pressing need, on 
her marvelous exemption from every stain of Sin 
and Inordination, on her all-powerful influence over 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, supplicating and con- 
juring her by all she suffered here on earth but espe- 
cially under the Cross of Calvary to obtain for me 
these Three Graces, and then recite the Angelical 
Salutation. In the same manner I should after- 
wards, with her assistance, have recourse to our 
Adorable Savior, and add the Anima Christi. Lastly, 
through the intercession of our Blessed Lady, and the 



98 SECOND DAY 

mediation of her Divine Son, I should present my pe- 
titions to the Eternal Father, and finish with the 
Lord's Prayer. 



A. M. D. G. 

"MY CHILD, GIVE MB THY HEART." 

THIRD DAY 



special patron: St. Francis Borgia. 

motto : " Pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear." — • 
Ps. 118:120. 

spirit : Hatred and Horror of Sin, of Inordination, 
and of the World. 

reading: Imitation; Bk. I, C. 6, 13, 14, 23, 24. 
Bk. II, C. 2, 10. 
Bk. Ill, C. 24, 41, 53. 



Strive to intensify more and more your sorrow for 
sin and your desire of penance. Bear in mind that 
the fruit of this Retreat will be proportioned to the 
humility, sincerity, and docility, with which you 
seek to manifest your past faults and your actual 
dispositions to the Minister of God. 



HELL 

Introductory Remarks. — While the consideration 
of Hell tends directly to inspire fear, it indirectly 
also helps to enkindle love. Yet even fear is some- 
thing we cannot afford to discard as long as we are 
living in this world. If we conld realize the deadly 
hatred that Satan bears us and the violent tempta- 
tions to which we may be suddenly exposed, we 
would not let a single day pass without seriously 
reflecting on Hell. Even after St. Francis Borgia 
had attained a high degree of holiness he very fre- 
quently meditated on Hell, declaring that he derived 
great benefit from this exercise every time he made 
it. But for this it is necessary to make Hell an ac- 
tual reality to ourselves, not looking upon it as a 
plausible opinion or a philosophical theory but as a 
certain and awful truth, revealed and vouched for 
by God Himself. In the Gospels alone there are at 
least fifteen distinct references to this place of ever- 
lasting punishment, of unquenchable fire, recorded 
from the lips of our Divine Lord. For Catholics, 
however, and all the more for Religious, it ought to 
be enough to know on this point the explicit teaching 
of His Holy, Infallible Church. 

Subject of this Meditation. — The endless affliction 
of the unrepentant sinner in Hell. 

Composition of Place. — The length, breadth, and 
depth of Hell; or else, the narrow space destined 



HELL 101 

there for me if I should continue in my tepidity, such 
as was shown in a vision to St. Theresa to rouse her 
to greater fervor. 

Petition. — " An interior sense [or intimate realiza- 
tion] of the pains which the Lost suffer; in order that 
if ever through my faults [my inordinations and 
venial sins] I should forget the love of the Eternal 
Lord, at least the fear of punishment may prevent 
me from falling into [mortal] sin." 

First Point. The Pains of Hell. 

The Pain of Loss: "Depart from Me."— This 
peremptory command means separation from God 
as He is our Supernatural End and Recompense; 
in other words, it means our being once for all ex- 
cluded by the Most High from that Intuitive Vision 
which would make us share in His own Infinite Hap- 
piness. Here on earth the loss of fortune, health, or 
companionship, tends to fill us with sadness; what, 
then, must be the effect of losing God, of this immeas- 
urable and irreparable Loss? To understand fully 
what this Pain of Loss implies, we ought to have ex- 
perienced already the bliss and glory of the Saints in 
Heaven. But as such is not the case, we can only 
say that the Reprobate are forever deprived of that 
Divine Vision which unceasingly keeps the Angels 
and the Blessed immersed in an ocean of ecstatic de- 
light, a delight ever new and ever full, without any 
shadow of alteration or any fear of diminution; a 
delight such as, in the words of St. Paul, no eye has 
seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has ever 
been able to conceive. The Reprobate, however, 
suffer not only the absence of this unspeakable happi- 
ness, but also an indescribable anguish arising from 



102 THIRD DAY 

the fact that they were positively created for the 
enjoyment of the Infinite Truth and Goodness. The 
Loss of God, consequently, leaves in the souls of the 
Damned a frightful void which nothing can ever 
fill. 

Again, as the Lost are fully aware that God is su- 
premely Happy, their impotent hatred fills them with 
extreme bitterness, while the glory of the Saints and 
Angels, from whose society they are forever excluded, 
consumes them with fiendish envy. Moreover, they 
are now forced to acknowledge the Sovereign Beauty 
and Loveliness of God, and though irrevocably ban- 
ished from His Presence, though forever deprived of 
His Love, yet, by the very law of their being, they 
vehemently long for Him and are irresistibly drawn 
towards Him, inasmuch as they clearly perceive in 
Him the sum total of all happiness. For there exists 
in every soul a natural craving for happiness, which it 
now recognizes can be found only in God; while at 
the same time, through its own perverse choice, it is 
swayed by a fierce hatred, a wilful aversion from 
God, as the unsurmountable obstacle to its selfishness 
and pride. Thus the Lost are being continually at- 
tracted and repelled by one and the same object. And 
these two conflicting tendencies, namely, this power- 
ful inclination to God and this strong aversion 
from God, will tear asunder, so to speak, the Repro- 
bate Spirit for all eternity, causing it to undergo an 
everlasting death or rather a never-abating agony, 
incomparably more excruciating than that inflicted 
by any torments on earth. Still, since we can never 
form directly an adequate idea of this Pain of Loss, 
let us strive to realize it indirectly by considering 
for a few moments the far less terrible Pain of Sense. 

This Pain of Sense we may take to be the effect of 



HELL 103 

the Divine Malediction expressed in the words, " Ye 
cursed." The Lost are separated, cut off from God, 
not only as He is in Himself, but also as the Source 
of every physical and moral good, of every natural 
blessing. Hence they suffer utter destitution, that 
is, the most complete privation of whatever is neces- 
sary to supply their manifold and ever pressing needs. 
What hardship it is to be without food or drink for 
an entire day, or even for a few hours; what misery 
it is to be deprived of one's eyes, feet, or fingers! 
What, then, must it be to be absolutely and forever 
deprived of everything? Dives imploring the boon 
of a drop of water in vain, such is the object-lesson 
furnished us by the Son of God, the Infallible Truth. 
In brief, each of the Lost will be filled with every 
kind of affliction to the full of his capacity. 

In Hell, consequently, there is no action but all is 
passion ; there is no pleasurable exertion of any kind, 
nothing except conscious suffering; a punishment of 
spiritual sloth, of moral stagnation. In Hell there 
is complete and universal disorder, in the faculties 
of the soul as well as in the senses and organs of the 
body; a punishment of spiritual negligence and 
moral crookedness. In Hell there is no light, ex- 
cept perhaps to reveal to the Lost the terrors of their 
prison, but all else is shrouded in impenetrable 
gloom ; a punishment of unguarded looks, of danger- 
ous readings. In Hell there is no sound, except such 
as can afflict the hearing, but otherwise all is ab- 
solute silence, the horrid stillness of the tomb; a 
punishment of the abuse of speech, of the craving 
for voluptuous music. Worse than all this, however, 
in Hell there reigns a universal and deadly hatred ; a 
punishment of the irregular love of self and crea- 
tures. The Damned animated with a most vehement 



104 THIRD DAY 

detestation, a most profound loathing for everything 
created, are continually cursing the hour of their 
birth, the authors of their existence, the friends that 
seduced them, the persons on whose account they 
sinned, and especially their own selves. In Hell, 
then, there is no affection, no love. 

While the Reprobate are thus completely aban- 
doned and isolated in their unutterable wretched- 
ness, only their vices remain with them to exercise 
a despotic sway over their entire being and to inflict 
on them a ceaseless persecution. This inevitable re- 
sult of not practising penance and self-denial begins 
already here on earth and is a matter of daily ex- 
perience. In fact, our greatest misery and keenest 
suffering is brought on us by our own vices in pro- 
portion as we get enslaved to them. What must it 
be when their tyranny has become absolute and all 
gratification is rendered impossible? Thus gluttony, 
avarice, lust, pride, will each torment its helpless vic- 
tim forever in Hell. 

The Pain of Fire : " into everlasting fire." — We 
know from Revelation that the Lost in Hell will be 
punished, both in soul and body, by this " Everlast- 
ing Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels," that 
is, called first into existence for the punishment of 
the Demons the moment they were cast into Hell. 
It will afflict each Reprobate in exact proportion to 
the number and gravity of his sins, and each mem- 
ber of his body in the measure in which it has been 
the instrument of evil. " They shall be salted with 
fire." ( Mark 9 :48. ) It is certainly real and physi- 
cal, but whether the suffering caused by it is alto- 
gether distinct from the Pain of Sense just considered, 
is not certain. At all events, even if not distinct, it 
furnishes us with a different aspect of the Pain of 



HELL 105 

Sense, and so renders our knowledge and apprecia- 
tion more complete. 

The proud rebellious spirit, then, is imprisoned by 
a physical Fire, it is held at the mercy of matter. 
What awful pain, what frightful torture may be in- 
flicted by our earthly fire, we all know by experience ; 
yet, in comparison to the sufferings caused by the 
Fire of Hell, according to St. Augustine, it is only 
as it were a painted fire, or like the picture of a fire. 
Now, unless we have a very strong imagination, a 
mere pictorial reproduction of a fire would surely 
cause us little inconvenience. Well, such is the fire 
of earth contrasted with that of Hell. But even if 
it were no worse than our earthly fire, who would 
not shudder with horror at the prospect of being 
chained down on a burning pile of wood or shut up 
in a roaring blast-furnace or submerged in a caldron 
of molten metal, and that not for a second, not for a 
minute, not for an entire day, or a week, or a month, 
or a year, but forever and ever? Yet no such crude 
imagery as this can at all approach the tremendous 
reality. 

And in the midst of these awful afflictions the 
Damned are devoured with the most intense Remorse. 
It is a matter of daily observation how painfully men 
are affected by the loss of a valuable object, the miss- 
ing of a splendid opportunity, or the failure of a 
promising enterprise, when the blame is entirely their 
own. So each Reprobate Soul keeps repeating to it- 
self incessantly : " It is all my own doing, my own 
choice, my own fault. I insisted on having my own 
way, and I got it. Now I am forever buried in Hell ; 
in spite of the sufferings of Christ, in spite of the 
intercession of Mary, in spite of the prayers of the 
Saints and Angels, in spite of the example of parents, 



106 THIRD DAY 

the help of friends, the advice of priests, in spite of 
all the numberless favors and special graces lavished 
on me by God, I am lost." 

Hence, in conclusion, the worst calamities of this 
world, all the multitudinous horrors of cyclones, 
floods, earthquakes, conflagrations, collisions, and 
shipwrecks, of plagues, famines, revolutions, and 
wars, are but the distant foreshadowings of what will 
come upon the unrepentant sinner. This, then, is 
what I have deserved, perhaps over and over again, 
by my sins; this, then, is what I should be suffering 
already now, and even since many years, if God in 
His Admirable Mercy had not so patiently prepared 
and awaited my conversion, if Christ, my Adorable 
Lord, had not died on the Cross amid unspeakable 
anguish and ignominy, for Love of me and on account 
of my Sins. This, then, is the final result of wanting 
to have my own way, of wishing to be my own master, 
of not submitting to those appointed to rule and di- 
rect me, of following slavishly my likes and dislikes, 
my blind propensities and repugnances. And this is 
where my Sins, yea, even my Inordinations will yet 
lead me inevitably, unless like St. Theresa, I exert all 
my energy to cooperate with Divine Grace for a thor- 
ough and lasting Reformation of Life. 

Second Point. The Eternity of Hell. 

The Fact. — Though Eternity cannot be expressed 
in terms applicable to time, yet probably the simplest 
way in which we can form some imperfect notion of 
Eternity is by means of an endless succession of 
years. Hence we may say, for instance, that after a 
hundred thousand years Hell will still be only begin- 
ning, and that after a hundred thousand million 
years it will not have advanced any further than 



HELL 107 

when the Lost Soul first received her sentence of 
damnation. But we must bear in mind that the 
Eternity of Hell is in reality far worse than all this, 
inasmuch as it presses on the Keprobate at each in- 
stant with its entire weight. Almost any hardship 
here on earth becomes bearable, provided the end be 
not too far distant and be certain to come within a 
limited number of hours, days, weeks, or even months. 
But if our sufferings are prolonged indefinitely for 
many, many years, how the dark prospect seems to 
crush our spirit and fill our soul with such sadness 
and melancholy as actually to bring about death. 
What then, must be the anguish caused by the cer- 
tainty that they will never, never come to an end; 
and sufferings not of earth, but of Hell? 

The Reason of this Eternity is the Divine Decree 
that death should fix man's destiny forever after, 
either in Heaven or in Hell ; in other words, the ir- 
revocable sentence of the Sovereign Judge. But a 
deeper reason lies in the very nature of mortal sin, 
which of itself is irremediable. Just as the Blessed 
are confirmed in grace, and love, and holiness, so the 
Lost are confirmed, or rather abandoned, in guilt, 
and hate, and wickedness. While yet on earth, they 
abused their liberty; while it was yet in their power 
to listen to grace and to return to God, they refused 
to avail themselves of His Mercy ; now no more grace 
is offered them since the period of probation is past, 
and accordingly their evil will remains forever turned 
away from God, full of sin, full of hatred, full of 
wickedness. 

The Consequence is that Hell is not only Everlast- 
ing but also Invariable. There will be not one mo- 
ment of respite, not the least token of sympathy, not 
the faintest glimmer of relief. No companions ex- 



108 THIRD DAY 

cept the Reprobate and the Demons. No hope, for- 
ever; and hence the most absolute, the most frantic 
Despair. Therefore, in opposition to the Eternity 
of Heaven, which is the actual, total, and simultan- 
eous possession of a life of bliss and glory, whose 
duration shall have no end ; the Eternity of Hell may 
well be called the actual, total, and simultaneous in- 
fliction of an agony, both spiritual and physical, 
whose duration shall have no end ; in other words, an 
Everlasting Death, or rather an Everlasting Dying, 
to be suffered with unmitigated intensity, at every 
single instant, both soul and body being made to un- 
dergo unceasingly all the torments of which they are 
capable, in exact proportion to all the natural gifts 
and supernatural graces which they did or could re- 
ceive during this earthly existence, but which they 
deliberately, obstinately, and scornfully squandered 
and rejected. Is this, then, Hell? No, this is only 
a very imperfect description of it. Just as Heaven 
is entirely beyond our intellectual grasp, so is Hell. 

Third Point. The Way to Hell for Religious.— 

How did they get there, these wretched souls who 
once, perhaps, were members of this same Order or 
Congregation, had made the Noviceship, had taken 
the Vows, and had filled several Offices? This Fire 
was " prepared for the Devil and his Angels," not 
for Men, not for Religious. If we could ask some of 
them how they got into this place of torment, what 
would they answer? Being completely isolated from 
one another, they could only reply in the singular. 

" First ; there was lack of earnest correspondence 
to the grace of God; no desire, no effort to practise 
penance, self-denial, and self-abasement; relaxation 
of fraternal charity; frequent inordinations ; gradual 



HELL 109 

substitution of the natural for the supernatural; I 
became satisfied with avoiding deliberate Venial Sin. 

" Next ; there was routinism in spiritual things ; 
partial omission of prayer; negligent performance of 
duty; liberty of the senses, no guard over eyes and 
touch; giving the body every little gratification and 
comfort that could be had; taking in all the distrac- 
tions and amusements that offered themselves ; wilful 
transgression of the rules ; I did not stop at anything 
except deliberate Mortal Sin. 

" Lastly ; there were numerous and habitual venial 
sins; confessions without true sorrow or sincere pur- 
pose; communions without preparation or thanks- 
giving; indulgence of unlawful curiosity; seeking 
proximate occasions of sin, places, books, persons; 
total neglect of prayer; then deliberate mortal sins; 
grievous violations of the vows; complete abandon- 
ment of vocation; and thus I fell into Consummate 
Pride." Such in outline would be the reply of almost 
every Lost Religious. 

How, then, can I afford to make light of matters 
of such inconceivable importance as those which con- 
cern my Eternal Salvation? Must I not rather be 
most eager to give up everything and anything that 
may prove an Obstacle or constitute a Danger? And 
how highly I should esteem my Vocation, how sin- 
cerely devoted I should be to my Community, for the 
manifold and powerful Helps afforded me to get far- 
ther and farther away from Hell! What, if I had 
been left in the World? Besides, should I not em- 
brace every kind of Penance, except when prevented 
by age or infirmity, or rather by Holy Obedience? 
No Religious is safe that does not practise in addition 
to Interior Mortification also Exterior Penance ; such 
as self-denial in food, in comfort, in rest; custody 



110 THIRD DAY 

of the eyes and the tongue; affliction of the sense of 
touch by praying on one's knees with arms extended, 
by wearing small chains, by taking the discipline. 
This chastisement of the body is one of the most effi- 
cacious means for checking our Sensuality and hum- 
bling our Pride, for obtaining Recollection and re- 
gaining Fervor, and thus for increasing our inward 
Peace, our true Happiness. 

Colloquy. — Once more kneeling at the foot of the 
Cross, I shall give expression to my contrition, my 
gratitude, and my determination of using henceforth 
all the means afforded me by my holy Institute to 
persevere at any cost, until death. 

Here I should also represent to myself the immense 
multitude of souls that are already in Hell, either 
because they would not believe in Christ, or because 
they refused to keep the Commandments; that is, 
either for lack of supernatural Faith or for lack of 
Good Works. How many were lost before the Com- 
ing of our Lord, how many even during His Stay on 
earth, and how many again after His Ascension! 
Alas! what frightful ruin caused by Sensuality and 
Pride ! How thankful I ought to be that God did not 
call me into existence during those dark ages when 
the whole world was groaning under the dominion 
of Satan, or that He did not give me my being during 
these modern times in the midst of some idolatrous 
nation or in the bosom of an irreligious family! If 
with all my advantages of birth and education I com- 
mitted so many sins, what should I not have done un- 
der less favorable circumstances? O wonderful pref- 
erence of Divine Love towards me, chosen out of such 
countless numbers of souls, many of whom, if they 
had received the same graces as I, would have cor- 



HELL 111 

responded to them so much better! But while they 
were justly condemned to Hell, God has till now 
only shown me the most tender Pity and Mercy. 

Nevertheless, all those who are now lost forever 
were once truly destined like myself for Everlasting 
Bliss. How, then, did they happen to perish eter- 
nally? Many went astray for want of apostolic men 
to teach them the truths of Revealed Faith, to set 
them the example of Meritorious Works; many lived 
and died in Sin, because there was none to pray, 
labor, and suffer for their Conversion. And the same 
holds good of all those millions and millions in every 
part of the globe who are actually in imminent dan- 
ger of Damnation. Whose heart would not melt with 
pity at this thought? Whose breast would not be 
inflamed with zeal? It is also for their Salvation, 
that I should henceforth apply myself in real earnest 
to my own Sanctification, by the exercise of Prayer 
and Penance, by the practice of Poverty, Chastity, 
Obedience, and Charity. — Our Father. 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 

Introductory Remarks. — Let us suppose a certain 
man has been appointed directly by God Himself to 
rule all Christians. This king issues a proclamation 
to his subjects informing them that, in virtue of his 
Divine commission, he intends to subjugate the whole 
country of the infidels, and that those who wish to 
follow him in this glorious campaign will have to 
share with him in its various hardships in order that 
afterwards they may likewise share in his certain 
victory. Surely, every loyal subject would eagerly 
accept such a benevolent and liberal offer, and any 
one who did not, would incur the just blame and con- 
tempt of all his fellows. St. Ignatius uses this ref- 
erence to a temporal ruler in order to fix our atten- 
tion on Christ, our Heavenly King, and on His Para- 
mount Claims to our Devoted Service. 

Subject of this Meditation, — The Call of Christ 
our Lord. 

Composition of Place. — "The synagogues, towns, 
and villages, through which Christ our Lord used to 
preach," on the sunny hills of Judea, the fertile plains 
of Galilee, and the lovely shores of Gennesareth. 
This includes every locality where the call of Christ 
our King actually went forth ; to remind us that there 
is question, not of a fictitious call, but of a real and 
historic call. 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 113 

Petition. — " That I may not be deaf to His Call, 
but prompt and diligent to accomplish His most Holy 
Will." 

First Point. How Christ Calls All Men.—" If we 
consider/' says St. Ignatius, "the summons of the 
temporal king to his subjects, how much more worthy 
of our consideration it is to see Christ our Lord, the 
Eternal King, and before Him the whole human race, 
all of whom and each in particular He calls, saying : 
1 My will is to conquer the entire world and all My 
enemies, and thus to enter into the glory of My Fa- 
ther. Whoever, therefore, desires to come with Me 
must Labor with Me, in order that following Me in 
hardship he may likewise follow Me in glory.' " 

The Person of Christ our Lord. — This is the same 
Divine-Human Person Whom, already in the medita- 
tion on The Triple Sin, I beheld nailed to a Cross, 
wondering how He, the Almighty Creator, could have 
condescended to become Man, and from everlasting 
life could have come down to temporal death, thus to 
die for my Sins, that I might not be cast into Hell, 
like the rebel angels and so many millions of men, 
condemned for fewer sins than I committed, or even 
for one single mortal sin. This is the same Adorable 
Lord, Whose admirable Mercy and singular Predi- 
lection — as I considered in the meditation on Hell 
— are the only cause why I am not already burning 
in that unquenchable fire, with so many others far 
less guilty than I. This is the same Eternal King, to 
Whose Love and Preference I have till now corre- 
sponded with so much ingratitude, but Whom in fu- 
ture I desire to love with all my heart, in return for 
so many signal favors, by applying myself in real 



114 THIRD DAY 

earnest to the practice of every Virtue, to the observ- 
ance of every Rule, and to the performance of every 
Duty. 

His Actions. — He stands "before the whole hu- 
man race," as their True and only Sovereign King, 
by nature as God and by grace as Man. Oh! might 
He be soon acknowledged as such by all. " Thy 
Kingdom Come ! " — " He calls all and each in par- 
ticular." All are called absolutely to follow Him by 
the profession of the Faith and the observance of the 
Commandments; and, besides, all are called, at least 
conditionally, to the practice of the Evangelical Coun- 
sels. I too have been called, but I was favored with 
a Special Vocation, that is, I was invited in an abso- 
lute manner to the embracing of the Counsels, to the 
Perfection of Charity, to Sanctity. Christ also said 
to me, "if thou wilt be perfect," while at the same 
time He inspired me with the desire to become perfect. 
And I am still being called day after day, by the 
prompting of His Holy Spirit, by the disposal of my 
Superiors, by the exhortation of my Rules, to an ever 
closer following of my Divine King. In other words, 
my Vocation did now cease at my taking of the Vows, 
but is continuous and ever more urgent. Oh ! may I 
never be deaf to that Sacred Call, may I not rest satis- 
fied with merely keeping up the fervor of my novice- 
ship, — " to have never lost the fervor of one's novice- 
ship " is at best a very doubtful praise — but espe- 
cially during this Retreat may I be attentive and 
obedient to that Heavenly Call as to the Voice of my 
only Beloved. May I welcome His Call, may I em- 
brace this Vocation to ever greater Holiness, with the 
utmost alacrity and generosity! 

His Words. — His Royal Proclamation is brief: 
" My will is to conquer the entire world and all My 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 115 

enemies, and thus to enter into the glory of My 
Father." For this purpose He came down upon the 
earth. His Sacred Heart cannot bear to see human- 
ity, like a wild torrent, rushing into the infernal 
abyss, into the everlasting torments of Hell. O Ad- 
mirable Love and Mercy of my God and my King! 
" To conquer the whole world," to subject all men, all 
hearts, to the Sweet Yoke of poverty and humility, to 
the Heavenly Law of purity and charity, by the accep- 
tance of Divine Faith and the exercise of Good Works, 
and even by the practice of the Counsels of Perfection, 
that is, by the pursuit of the highest possible Sanctity : 
thus to deliver them from the tyranny of their pas- 
sions, from the slavery of Satan, from the imminent 
danger of perdition ; and to render them truly happy 
here below, eternally blissful hereafter. What Ten- 
der Compassion of the Lord God for my miseries! 
and this, in spite of my former sinfulness, my black 
ingratitude, my foul rebellion. Adorable King, con- 
quer also my heart, though so utterly unworthy of 
Thy Divine Solicitude, subdue it, enslave it forever. 
" And all My enemies." What enemies are these ex- 
cept my own irregular inclinations, my own evil 
passions, which ever tend to drag me down into sin, 
to render me miserable? These are His enemies pre- 
cisely because they are mine ; they are hateful to Him 
because they are injurious to me : Sensuality, Covet - 
ousness, and Pride ; that is, my inordinate leanings to- 
wards comforts, possessions, and distinctions; or, in 
one word, the Flesh ever in league with the World 
and the Devil. " And thus to enter into the glory 
of My Father." In triumph, leading innumerable 
bands of souls, enchained by His Love, united by mu- 
tual Charity; He being the Head, and they forming 
His Mystic Body, acquired by His Passion and Death ; 



116 THIRD DAY 

that they may share with Him unending Bliss and 
inconceivable Glory. 

But besides, He wants our cooperation in this 
Spiritual Warfare, in this Supernatural Conquest. 
Here is His appeal : " Whosoever, therefore, desires 
to come with Me." All are invited, but none is com- 
pelled. Our King looks for voluntary service. His 
kingdom is one of devotion, sacrifice, and love. But 
what condescension on His part to invite us to a share 
in this Divine Enterprise. Instead of reserving all 
the glory to Himself, He desires every man to have 
a share in it, those very men, so ungrateful and sin- 
ful, for whose Redemption He has conceived and un- 
dertaken this wonderful conquest of Infinite Mercy. 
Who then could refuse to listen to His Call? " Must 
labor with Me." Of course; but what happiness to 
labor and toil and suffer with Him, our King, our God, 
laboring, toiling, suffering with us and for us; what 
a privilege to have part in His Afflictions, in His 
Cross, for the sake of our Brethren, each of whom He 
longs to bring under the empire of His Love ! What 
selfishness, what meanness it would be not to be con- 
tented with His food, His rest, His drink, His rai- 
ment, and His shelter ! " In order that following Me 
in hardship, he may likewise follow Me in glory." 
What liberality! Our recompense, our share in His 
triumph will be exactly proportionate to our share in 
His labors and watches. Though by nature we are 
only His servants, and by sin His debtors, yet He 
desires to treat us as His intimate friends. It is true, 
there is the cowardly fear of our natural Self to alarm 
us, there are the deceitful suggestions of the Devil 
to discourage us; yet we know that we can do all 
things with the help of Grace, and that there is no 
higher happiness than that of the Saint. 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 117 

Second Point. How Men Listen and Correspond 
to the Call of Christ, their King. 

Many do not listen at all but, on the contrary, reject 
the Call of Christ and positively refuse to do any- 
thing for our Lord. They have either no Faith or no 
Works. Not a few of them are Nominal Catholics. 
These are men that follow instead the vanities of the 
world, the promptings of their passions, and the de- 
ceits of Satan, men whose main object is to make 
money, to seek amusements, to gain distinctions. 
They have no sense, no honor, no gratitude, and no 
love. Many amongst them remain knowingly and 
wilfully outside the True Church, many others have 
deserted Her and turned traitors. They all oppose 
the Kingdom of Christ by contributing to the spread 
of error and immorality, some even persecute His 
faithful followers by acts of violence and iniquitous 
laws. Perhaps I too have been at one time amongst 
these blind ingrates : — for how long, for how many 
years? O shame and confusion, for such folly and 
perversity ! 

Many listen to the Call of Christ, but only in so 
far as to keep themselves ready to carry out any par- 
ticular command or obligation laid upon them by 
their Divine King. They make no spontaneous offer 
of Service. These are ordinary, or rather Lukewarm 
Catholics, who habitually strive to keep from Mortal 
Sin and to do what is enjoined under pain of damna- 
tion, but do not exert themselves to avoid Venial Sin. 
Surely, they show no generosity, manifest scarcely 
any zeal, and give proof of very little sense, in not 
availing themselves better of such an advantageous 
and glorious opportunity to which they are invited 
by Christ our Lord. Yet even these, in spite of their 
poor service, provided only they persevere in Sancti- 



118 THIRD DAY 

fying Grace, will receive an eternal reward. Such is 
the Magnanimity, the Prodigality of our King. But 
how completely a Religious would miss the spirit of 
his Sublime Calling, if he were contented to belong 
to this class. 

Not a few, indeed, go further and offer their pos- 
sessions and their talents for the Service of Christ. 
These are earnest, Practical Catholics, that lead the 
life of the Precepts but devote their goods, their time, 
and their energy, to the cause of the Church, to the 
relief of the poor, to the instruction of the ignorant, 
to the comfort of the sick and afflicted. Not satisfied 
with what is of obligation, they attend special exer- 
cises of Worship and frequently receive the Sacra- 
ments. They thus show their good sense, since for 
everything they now sacrifice they will receive a most 
ample compensation both here in this world and in 
the next ; here, preservation from mortal sin and even 
from venial sin, with peace of soul ; hereafter, endless 
bliss and glory in Heaven. To this class, then, all 
those belong who, " having the use of judgment and 
reason, offer their whole selves for labor." Even 
this, however, is by no means enough for a Religious. 

Third Point. How a Religious should Listen and 
Correspond to the Call of Christ. 

" But there are some," St. Ignatius says, " who wish 
to show greater affection and to distinguish them- 
selves in every kind of service of their Eternal King 
and Universal Lord." These are persons that, besides 
reason and judgment, possess a generous disposition 
and a loving heart, and who, in order to make the 
greatest possible progress in Perfection, have sur- 
rendered themselves unreservedly to the Adorable 
Will of God. Is not this exactly what we had in view 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 119 

when we conceived the idea of entering the Religious 
State? To show greater affection towards Him, our 
Creator, Who for love of us, His sinful creatures, 
embraced all the torments and ignominy of the Cross ; 
to signalize ourselves in His Service, to do for Him 
something special and arduous in return for such 
Wonderful Love ; namely, to strive after real Holiness, 
to become entirely His. This is surely the spirit of 
our Vocation. Oh ! let us resolve not only to persevere 
in these same desires, but daily to fan them into a 
more ardent flame, to be wholly consumed by the 
vehemence of this celestial fire. But from these gen- 
erous aspirations we must proceed to energetic action. 
For these, in the words of St. Ignatius, " not only 
offer their whole persons to labor," — even to perform 
the lowest drudgery, in which there is no opportunity 
of vainglory, — but also begin to "act against their 
own sensuality, their carnal and worldly love." Sen- 
suality; the inclination to things agreeable to the 
senses, namely, earthly goods and pastimes, and the 
aversion for things painful, such as poverty and suf- 
fering: Carnal Love; the sympathy we feel for per- 
sons that please us by their appearance, kindness, or 
accomplishments, and the antipathy we experience 
for such as displease us by their defects, rudeness, or 
drawbacks: Worldly Love; the craving for esteem 
and honor, and the shunning of contempt and insult. 
Comparatively few Christians understand this point, 
that, since Christ our King came to conquer His ene- 
mies, our inordinate passions, they themselves should 
start at once, with the help of His grace, to wage war 
against these domestic, most dangerous, and most per- 
sistent foes, whose existence they realize constitutes 
an immense obstacle to the carrying out of their 
generous desires and lofty aims. This means more 



120 THIRD DAY 

than to offer one's goods and talents, this is the 
Actual Following of Christ our King. 

However, let us not forget that to belong to this 
class we must " act against " our rebellious inclina- 
tions, not simply restrain them, check them, or stand 
on the defensive, but take the offensive, exert our- 
selves in the contrary direction, do the very opposite 
of that towards which they tend, determined daily 
to make the greatest possible progress. These, then, 
are Fervent Catholics, such as lead, in so far as cir- 
cumstances will allow, the Life of the Counsels, of 
Evangelical Perfection, and who sincerely devote 
themselves to the work of their sanctification. They 
realize that, before helping to extend the Kingdom of 
Christ over other hearts, they must first establish it 
firmly in their own, by complete self -conquest, by con- 
tinual self-denial. Am I too thoroughly convinced 
that this is my most pressing need, my most important 
task; self-denial, self -conquest? that, without this, my 
activity, learning, reputation, or talent is useless and 
worse than useless; that all these things, far from 
being conducive to the Kingdom of Christ, will only 
prove detrimental and destructive? Not that I 
should ever cease begging to be wholly spent with zeal 
for souls; for the Son of God has come for this pur- 
pose, to conquer the whole world, to extend the empire 
of His Love over all men, over all hearts. But in 
order to assist Him in this Divine Enterprise and to 
follow Him in this Holy Campaign, I must begin with 
completely subduing His enemies in my own inmost 
soul, namely, my inordinate self-love and self-esteem. 
Hence, whenever I pray " Thy Kingdom Come ! " I 
should add, if not in words, at least in spirit : " Yes, 
Dearest Lord, Thy Kingdom Come, but first of all 
in my own heart ! Oh ! help me by Thy Grace to make 



THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST 121 

it wholly Thine; Thine by poverty, by mortification, 
by humiliation ; Thine by spotless purity, by unalter- 
able meekness, by ardent charity, by perfect obe- 
dience." 

Yet not a few go still further and enter the Relig- 
ious State, that is by the Sacred Vows they embrace 
the State of Perfection. Just as some people strive 
to become merchants, lawyers, or doctors, and others 
are bent on becoming artists, statesmen, or million- 
aires; so these have irrevocably bound themselves to 
live exclusively for this one object, to become Saints. 
Hence the permanent " status " of every Religious is 
his own sanctification. These, then, to follow Christ 
their King even into the fiercest conflict and to display 
on all occasions His glorious Livery, long with deep 
earnestness and great confidence to bear every kind 
of insult, contempt, and ignominy, every kind of 
toil, poverty, hardship, and suffering; provided 
only it be for the better Service of their Lord, that 
is, in so far as He will deign to give them these op- 
portunities of distinction, through the direction of 
Holy Obedience or the disposal of Divine Providence. 
He does so to some extent every day. But shame on 
us, if we should allow ourselves to be surpassed in 
zeal and generosity by persons in the world on whom 
this priceless favor of a Religious Vocation was not 
conferred. 

In conclusion, Only One Person deserves our un- 
limited and undivided veneration and affection; 
namely, the God-Man, Jesus Christ : Only One Work 
claims our unreserved and unceasing attention and 
devotion; namely, His Work, the salvation and sanc- 
tification of souls : and Only One Means will enable us 
to love that Person and to embrace that Work with 
energy and perseverance; namely, Self-Denial, the 



122 THIRD DAY 

restraining of our rebellious passions, the mastering 
of our unruly senses, the renouncing of our perverse 
will ; a continual and painful struggle, it is true, but 
nevertheless sweet and easy through the all-powerful 
grace of God. In other words, the Only One Way 
to Perfect Charity as well as to Genuine Happiness 
is the Way of the Cross. 

Colloquy with my Patron Saints, my Glorious 
Models ; with the Blessed Virgin, my Heavenly Queen ; 
and with Christ, my Eternal King. Full of shame 
and sorrow, I will ask pardon for my past cowardice 
and infidelity, and acknowledge myself utterly un- 
worthy to be numbered among the members of my 
Institute. Then I will fervently renew my Vows and 
Resolutions, and again dedicate myself, body and 
soul, to the Divine Service. Realizing more clearly 
than ever that in my own weakness I can do nothing, 
but that I can do all things in Him Who is my 
strength, I will offer myself to be disposed of in what- 
ever way Providence may intimate through my Super- 
iors ; I will beg to be employed in any position, however 
low, hard, or isolated, for any length of time, even 
until death; and I will implore the favor of bearing 
actual want, unmerited reproaches, and manifold af- 
fliction, in union with Jesus, my Adorable Lord. At 
the end I will recite the Our Father. 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 

The State of Perfection, also called the Religious 
State or the Religious Life, is constituted by a public 
and permanent obligation to aim at Perfection, which 
obligation is assumed with the taking of the Three 
Perpetual Vows. By taking the Vows of Poverty, 
Chastity, and Obedience, we publicly profess that we 
have irrevocably bound ourselves to the pursuit of the 
Perfection of Divine Charity. 

The Perfection of Charity after which a Religious 
has engaged to strive perseveringly, is not the com- 
mon degree necessary to all that wish to be saved 
and consisting principally in the exclusion of what- 
ever is contrary to the Habit of Charity; but it is a 
higher degree which consists in loving God as much 
as we are capable and, consequently, comprises, be- 
sides the Habit of Charity, the Removal of all Obsta- 
cles and the frequent Making of Acts. 

Now, a Religious is bound to strive after this 
Higher Degree of Perfection by a serious obligation, 
which arises from the virtue of Religion and is dis- 
tinct from the obligation of the three Vows. For, 
in consequence of his engagement contracted with the 
Order or Institute, he cannot licitly abandon the 
Religious State. But he who is bound to a state, is 
likewise bound to what is demanded by the essence 
of that state. In other words, by embracing an In- 
stitute whose only reason of existence is the pursuit 
of the Higher Perfection of Charity, we bind our- 



124 THIRD DAY 

selves at least implicitly to strive earnestly after the 
attainment of that object. 

The Religious State, then, is a stable manner of 
life led by persons who profess, by means of the Vows 
of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, to tend in the 
Church towards the Perfection of Charity. Volun- 
tary Poverty uproots the concupiscence of the eyes 
and removes the solicitude about temporal goods. 
Perfect Chastity uproots the concupiscence of the 
flesh and removes the solicitude about wife and 
children. Holy Obedience uproots the pride of life 
— that craving for independence and superiority 
which may also be called the concupiscence of the 
mind — and removes the solicitude about the use of 
our freedom. 

Poverty, in general, consists in the absence of 
worldly possessions. Considering it from the Reli- 
gious standpoint, we usually distinguish the Vow, the 
Virtue, and the Spirit of Poverty. 

The Vow of Poverty is an outward renunciation 
of earthly goods, made in accordance with the general 
laws of the Church and the particular constitutions 
of a Religious Order. The Laws of the Church have 
determined that the Vow of Poverty, whether simple 
or solemn, prevents the person who takes it from dis- 
posing freely, that is, without permission, of any 
material goods. The Constitutions of each Religious 
Order, with the previous approbation of the Pope, 
settle the details of this self-spoliation. Hence it is 
contrary to the Vow of Poverty to take things 
without permission, to use things longer than 
allowed, to hide things that the Superior may 
not deprive us of them, to eat or drink with- 
out leave, through carelessness to cause what is 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 125 

committed to our charge or given us for our 
use to be damaged or lost, to spend money received 
to defray traveling expenses for other purposes, to be 
either too liberal or too economical in the administra- 
tion of temporal goods. Briefly, a Religious sins 
against his Vow of Poverty, when he gives, accepts, 
buys, sells, exchanges, lends, borrows, uses, or de- 
stroys anything, beyond the regulations approved 
for his Order and without the permission of his 
Superior. We should note here also that a Religious 
breaks his Vow of Poverty whenever he transgresses 
the Seventh Commandment, it being immaterial 
whether or not his action redounds to his own per- 
sonal advantage. This would happen, for instance, if 
as a subordinate official he were to engage laborers to 
do necessary and useful work for less than a living 
wage ; or if he were to secure funds, favors, or exemp- 
tions, under false pretenses or to the detriment of 
third parties; or, in general, if in his business trans- 
actions he were to follow the pernicious principle that 
whatever is not punishable by the law of the land is 
permissible by the law of God. 

The Virtue of Poverty consists in the detachment 
from earthly possessions, in the absence of all inor- 
dinate affection to temporal goods. Hence, while 
the Vow is the means, the Virtue is the immediate 
end ; while the Vow directly regards only the outward 
act, the Virtue perfects our inward disposition. Con- 
sequently, a Religious may offend against the Virtue 
of Poverty without violating the Vow, but one can 
never violate the Vow without at the same time of- 
fending against the Virtue. The Virtue, therefore, 
has a far wider scope than the Vow. It is against 
the Virtue of Poverty to entertain any inordinate 
leaning toward temporal goods; to foster the desire 



126 THIKD DAY 

for a more abundant nse of them than allowed by 
the Rule ; to nourish a love of conveniences, valuables, 
curios, or superfluities ; to look for the best in things 
placed at the disposal of the whole Community; to 
give no account of money spent unless positively 
asked; to elicit presents from outsiders with a view 
to one's own satisfaction; to show displeasure if a 
permission is refused, or if things are not so nice, com- 
fortable, and plentiful as one expected. 

The Spirit of Poverty goes still further. It enters 
more deeply into the intention of our Blessed Lord, 
when He gave us this Evangelical Counsel : " Go, 
sell all thou hast, and give to the poor, and come fol- 
low Me." This Spirit of Poverty will enable us not 
only to bear patiently but even to accept eagerly 
whatever privations we may have to undergo in the 
observance of our Vow or in the practice of the Vir- 
tue, and will cause us to feel more happy the nearer 
we can approach our Divine Model. A Religious 
who has acquired the Spirit of Poverty, will on every 
occasion choose for himself only the least and the 
worst; will cheerfully welcome the withdrawal of 
human favor or the loss of temporal means; will be 
glad to experience the sting of actual want in hunger, 
thirst, cold, heat, fatigue, sickness, and similar trials ; 
will be delighted when obliged to beg from door to 
door for the support of the Community or for the 
maintenance of its work ; and, in short, will continu- 
ally aspire after the most complete destitution and 
the most painful abandonment in order that he may 
place his entire trust in the Providence of his Hea- 
venly Father. This is that genuine Poverty which 
seems so repugnant to worldlings, this is that 
thorough Detachment from all earthly goods of which 
our Divine Master has set us the Example. 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 127 

Surely, on the one hand we have abundant reason 
to humble ourselves, seeing how little progress we 
have as yet made towards Perfect Poverty. But on 
the other hand we ought to realize with joy and 
gratitude, that we truly possess nothing as our own; 
that the things we use with leave — our clothes, 
books, bed, desk, chair, and so forth, — are only lent to 
us and may be taken away or exchanged at any mo- 
ment; that we can dispose of nothing according to 
our own independent choice; that every time we re- 
ceive food, drink, or other necessaries, we are like 
beggars who have to ask for alms and live on charity ; 
in one word, that to some extent at least we have 
fellowship with the Son of God, Who had not even 
a stone on which to rest His weary head. Besides, 
" Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for they shall pos- 
sess the Kingdom of Heaven." 

Chastity, with reference to unmarried persons, con- 
sists in the abstinence from all carnal pleasures. 
For the better understanding of this important mat- 
ter, we should consider successively the Vow, the 
Virtue, and the Spirit of Chastity. 

The Vow of Chastity. — Every violation of the Sixth 
Commandment is an offense against both the Vow 
and the Virtue of Chastity. But, in consequence of the 
Vow, the guilt of a sin against the Sixth Command- 
ment would be augmented by the malice of a sacri- 
lege. On the other hand, the Vow not only imparts to 
our Chastity the character of a Divine Consecration, 
but also, in the case of those who have never fallen, 
confers upon it the special glory of Virginity. How 
thankful we ought to be to our Adorable King for 
having called us, in spite of our past failings, to a 
state of life so similar to that of His Immaculate 



128 THIED DAY 

Mother Mary. And again, how determined we should 
be, by every means in our power, to preserve our soul 
from any thought, desire, or affection that might sully 
this sublime gift of Angelic Purity. Even in these 
modern times an occasion may still arise for display- 
ing the same heroism as animated those Saints of 
the age of persecution who steadfastly suffered a 
Cruel Martyrdom rather than forfeit their Virginal 
Chastity. 

The Virtue of Chastity. — As already stated, the 
Virtue of Chastity coincides with the observance of 
the Sixth Commandment; and, with regard to this 
matter, nothing need be added except that a merely 
sensitive delight, such as may be experienced at the 
sight of a beautiful flower, or even a sensual pleasure, 
such as one might feel about the heart on meeting 
a dear friend, is by no means a carnal gratification. 
At the same time we should not forget that sensitive 
delight is apt to become inordinate, and that sen- 
sual pleasure may easily lead to something sinful. 
Hence it will be very useful to consider here the pre- 
cautions we have to take, in order that we may never 
mar or lose this Angelic Virtue; for, unfortunately, 
we are liable to go wrong even in the cloister and at 
any period of our Keligious profession, yea, as St. 
Jerome assures us, even on the very threshold of 
death. However, this misfortune can happen only 
to such as wilfully neglect the powerful safeguards 
designed to protect this Heavenly Prerogative. 

The first of these is Humility. Some Religious 
imagine that they are firmly established in Chastity 
because they do not feel the sting of the flesh. No 
delusion could be more dangerous. The absence of 
temptation may be due to various causes, and may 
be nothing else than a stratagem of the devil. The 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 129 

sure test of Chastity is sincere Humility. Do I keep 
constantly before my mind, that is, do I practically 
realize in my thoughts, words, and actions, my own 
absolute nothingness, my profound sinfulness, and my 
unlimited capacity for evil? Or would I find on 
close examination, that I am still full of vanity, of 
self-complacency, of self-assertion, of pride? In other 
words, am I unremitting in the exercise of self-hu- 
miliation and self-abnegation? If so, I need not fear 
any temptations against the Angelic Virtue; though 
I must, of course, avoid them with the utmost vig- 
ilance and banish them with the greatest prompti- 
tude. 

The next safeguard is Prudence, which is to guide 
us in all exterior occupations, readings, visits, tokens 
of friendship. It will make us resist all personal at- 
tractions, and shun all tender disclosures, and abstain 
from all undue familiarity. It is Prudence that dic- 
tated the laws of Papal Enclosure or equivalent pre- 
scriptions of Rule and Custom. But vain would be 
the observance of Enclosure as to the letter, if we 
should neglect to cultivate the spirit, by unnecessarily 
looking through secular newspapers or periodicals, or 
by freely conversing about worldly amusements, 
sports, plays, concerts, balls, weddings, and such like 
events. 

The third safeguard is Modesty, which constitutes 
the outward ornament of a virginal soul. Modesty 
makes us keep a habitual guard over ourselves, over 
our body, our senses, our imagination, our thoughts, 
our words, our actions, so that as far as we are con- 
cerned they may never become a source of temptation 
against Chastity. It regulates every motion so as to 
show that, whether alone or not, we are conscious of 
the presence of God. 



130 THIRD DAY 

The fourth safeguard is Mortification. Without 
Mortification it is evidently impossible to observe 
modesty or to avoid temptation. We have to practise 
Exterior Mortification of the senses, not only in bear- 
ing cold and heat, hunger and thirst, fatigue and suf- 
fering, but also, as far as circumstances will permit, 
by inflicting bodily pain with discipline, girdle, and 
other instruments of penance. Though indispen- 
sable, this is not enough. We have, besides, to 
practise Interior Mortification of the mind and heart, 
especially by repressing all undue curiosity, carnal 
affection, and particular friendship. 

The Spirit of Chastity. — Chastity, as well as 
Poverty and Obedience, is only a means to unite the 
soul to her Heavenly Spouse, Jesus Christ, by a union 
of love so holy, so close, so tender, that even the 
noblest affection known on this earth is nothing but 
its feeble shadow and dim reflection. The Spirit of 
Chastity, then, aims at perfecting this union, on the 
one hand, by the complete detachment from creatures, 
not only from all material objects but also from every 
sensible attraction; and, on the other hand, by the 
diligent practice of those virtues especially which 
stand out more prominently in the life of our Divine 
Lord, such as humility, obedience, meekness, patience, 
charity, and zeal. These virtues are, as it were, the 
perfume exhaled by the lily of purity. In propor- 
tion as we advance in this Spirit of Chastity, we shall 
experience even while yet on earth the truth of the 
Sixth Beatitude : " Blessed are the Clean of Heart, 
for they shall see God." 

Obedience, in general, consists in the subjection 
of our own will to that of another. Religious Obe- 
dience denotes the loving and intelligent submission 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 131 

of our will to the Will of God, manifested to us by 
the will of our lawful Superior. Also in the matter 
of Obedience, we may distinguish the Vow, the Vir- 
tue, and the Spirit. 

The Vow of Obedience. — This Vow is of all the 
most excellent, because by it a Religious consecrates 
to God those goods which men value most highly; 
namely, his liberty of action, of will, and of judg- 
ment. While human weakness is, consequently, very 
apt to fall into various faults and imperfections con- 
trary to the Virtue of Obedience; yet sins, especially 
grievous ones, are not so easily committed against 
the Vow of Obedience as against the other two Vows 
of Poverty and Chastity. The obligation of the Vow 
of Obedience consists in this, that a Religious is bound 
under pain of sin to carry out the lawful orders of his 
Superiors. He commits a grievous sin against his 
Vow when he refuses to obey in an important mat- 
ter enjoined upon him by his Superior — who should 
but very seldom adopt this course — " in the name of 
Jesus Christ," or "in virtue of Holy Obedience," or 
in some equivalent phrase; also when he answers his 
Superior, who gives him an order, " I will not obey," 
" I won't do it," or similar words that express formal 
contempt of authority, even though the thing com- 
manded be unimportant; and, lastly, when his dis- 
obedience gives great scandal or causes serious 
inconvenience, either to the Community or to out- 
siders. The most grievous sin that can be committed 
against the Vow of Obedience, is apostasy from the 
Order. 

The Virtue of Obedience has for its intrinsic mo- 
tive the moral beauty of our complete subjection to 
the Divine Will interpreted by the will of our Supe- 
rior; while its extrinsic motive lies in our desire to 



132 THIRD DAY 

please God, to love God, and to be united with God. 
Religious Obedience occupies the first place among 
the moral virtues inasmuch as it serves to implant 
and foster in our soul all the others. However, the 
perfect acquisition of this Virtue is conditioned by 
the diligent and constant exercise of Faith, Humility, 
and Confidence. Faith makes us see the government 
of God in the exercise of authority by our Superiors 
and fills us with deep reverence and sincere affection 
for their persons as the duly accredited Representa- 
tives of the Most High. Owing to lack of Faith, the 
very foundations of human society are nowadays 
being shaken. Those who are swayed by the spirit 
of the age are inclined to see in authority only the 
preponderance of power, wealth, ability, or votes. 
Religious too are liable to become infected by this 
pestilential atmosphere, through newspapers, period- 
icals, books, and intercourse with seculars. Let us 
be on our guard. Humility causes us to recognize 
our own utter baseness and absolute nothingness, and 
consequently enables us to love our obligation of sub- 
mitting to the Divine Will as manifested to us by 
Superiors. Confidence assures us that, since God is 
infinitely Powerful, Wise, and Loving, and can never 
be outdone in liberality, our Superiors will rule us in 
everything for our own greater good as well as for that 
of our neighbor. 

The Three Degrees of Obedience form the succes- 
sive steps that lead up to its perfection. The First 
Degree, Obedience of Execution, consists in doing 
what has been enjoined promptly, without excuses 
or delays ; exactly, not resting till the order is entirely 
accomplished, whether agreeable or not; and perse- 
veringly, especially in those charges which extend 
over some period of time or are to be performed either 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 133 

at stated intervals or whenever the occasion arises. 
The Second Degree, Obedience of Will, consists in 
submitting neither from self-interest nor through 
compulsion but with our whole heart, and hence en- 
ables us to obey universally, any Superior or 
Official in everything that falls under his juris- 
diction, not waiting for his express command but at 
a mere sign of his deliberate wish ; joyfully, ready to 
continue in the same duty as long as it shall please 
the Superior; and lovingly, desirous to carry out the 
Superior's directions exactly according to his mind. 
The Third Degree, Obedience of Judgment, is by far 
the most difficult and constitutes the crowning per- 
fection of this Virtue. It consists in obeying super- 
naturally, firmly convinced that what has been 
ordered is, here and now, under these actual cir- 
cumstances, the best for us and the most conducive 
to the Divine Glory ; blindly, shutting our eyes, so to 
say, to all considerations about the mental or moral 
qualifications of our Superior, and likewise to what- 
ever objections may present themselves, as, for in- 
stance, that the command bears no relation to the 
object intended, that we have not got the requisite 
strength, time, or ability; and intelligently, striving 
to penetrate the intention of our Superior, especially 
in the case that unforeseen difficulties or opportu- 
nities should arise. 

A very apt illustration of the necessity of Perfect 
Obedience is furnished by train orders. Being hu- 
man, they may be imperfect and thus cause disagree- 
able delays. But if not obeyed, there will be disaster 
and destruction. Our train dispatcher is He who 
governs the whole universe and each individual soul 
with Sovereign Wisdom and Unspeakable Love, 
through the automatic workings of natural forces 



134 THIRD DAY 

and the free will of intelligent men, especially our 
Superiors. It may appear to us like an unnecessary 
delay, a mistaken purpose, a senseless waste. But, 
provided we obey, He will guide us infallibly to hap- 
piness and holiness, to temporal peace and eternal 
bliss. 

The Spirit of Obedience consists in being entirely 
possessed and energized by the Adorable Will of God, 
so that in all our thoughts, words, and actions, we 
remain intimately united to Him by an almost ecs- 
tatic love. Such was the life of our Divine Lord, a 
life of Obedience. His very food was to do the Will 
of His Heavenly Father. And day after day, He 
still continues this life of Perfect Obedience, after a 
mystic manner, in the Adorable Eucharist. But how 
can we acquire this sublime Spirit of Obedience? By 
practising simple and childlike openness, not only 
towards our Confessors, but also towards our Supe- 
riors, so that we become wholly dependent on them, 
in the internal affairs of our own conscience no less 
than in the external matters under their charge. 
Desirous of having our whole soul intimately known 
to them, we should manifest, of our own accord, not 
only our faults and temptations, but also our virtues, 
devotions, mortifications, and penances. Some Su- 
periors, from scrupulosity or overwork, are unwilling 
to receive such spontaneous communications. For 
this they will one day have to render a rigid account 
to Almighty God. A Religious Institute is surely not 
to be governed as if it were simply a close corpora- 
tion, whose shareholders by means of strict economy, 
voluntary celibacy, and domestic discipline, manage 
to run schools, asylums, or hospitals, at the lowest 
possible figure. As was explained before in this 
Conference, the first and foremost object of every 



THE RELIGIOUS STATE 135 

Order or Congregation is to procure the salvation 
and perfection of its own members. This is the end, 
the rest is only a means. And, consequently, just as 
subjects should avail themselves of every help af- 
forded them by their Vocation to attain Sanctity, so 
Superiors are bound to use all their influence to sec- 
ond the Call of Christ our Lord, and to lead the souls 
entrusted to their care, by exhortation, guidance, and 
example, to the acquisition of even the most Heroic 
Virtue. 



THE INCARNATION 

Introductory Remarks. — We now enter upon the 
Second Week of the Exercises. Having clearly recog- 
nized in our Religious Vocation the Personal Call of 
Christ our Heavenly King, inviting us to follow Him 
in the conquest of souls, we are going to study for 
several days His Divine Example. Hence during 
this period of the Retreat we should keep our mind 
steadily occupied with the Life of our Lord down to 
the event which we are about to contemplate. Mean- 
while we should make such use of light or darkness, 
of comfort or penance, as we think will be most help- 
ful to obtain the graces we are looking for. 

Subject of this Meditation. — "The three Divine 
Persons, beholding the entire surface of the earth 
covered with men, and seeing how all were falling 
into hell, decreed in their eternity that, to save the 
human race, the Second Person should become Man. 
Thus when the fulness of time had come, they sent 
the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce to 
her the accomplishment of the Divine Promises." 

Composition of Place. — " To survey the whole sur- 
face of the globe inhabited by so many and such di- 
verse nations ; in particular, to see the humble dwell- 
ing and the little room of our Lady in the town of 
Nazareth." 

Petition. — "An interior knowledge of our Lord, 



THE INCARNATION 137 

Who for me has become Man, that I may love Him 
more ardently and follow Him more closely." What 
St. Ignatius, in these words, directs me to pray for is 
evidently a very comprehensive grace. An interior 
knowledge is one which penetrates deep down into 
my soul and remains indelibly engraven on my mind ; 
it is a knowledge which, moreover, enters into the 
very Heart of Christ our Lord, and realizes the Desire 
that burns there for the salvation of the whole world 
and every single human being, but in particular for 
my salvation, since it was for me that with special 
efficacy He became Man, preferring me in His Sin- 
gular Love to all the rebel angels and to so many 
men who, for one single sin, or for fewer sins than I 
committed, were lost forever in Hell. This knowl- 
edge, then, both subjectively and objectively intimate, 
keen, and vivid, is to move my will not only to love 
Him, but to love Him more ; more than I have loved 
Him till now, while as yet I did not know Him so 
well, and more than others who have not such powerful 
reasons for loving Him, inasmuch as they have not 
experienced so much Tenderness and such marked 
Preference. But this greater love, born of my better 
knowledge, must not be limited only to words however 
sincere, nor stop short at mere affections however 
ardent. It has to pass on to Deeds, as did the Love 
of Christ towards me ; and these Deeds are to be noble 
and arduous in order to correspond somewhat to so 
Singular a Predilection on His part ; and the precise 
manner in which I have thus to prove the reality of 
my greater love, nourished by that more intimate 
knowledge of the Lord God Who for me has become 
Man, consists in following Him, my King, to the con- 
quest of all those who dwell on the surface of the 
earth and are rushing into Hell, by the mortification 



138 THIRD DAY 

of my Sensuality and the humiliation of my Pride, 
by the acceptance of Poverty and Pain, by the bearing 
of Contempt and Insult, to whatever extent He may 
deign to mark me out for such distinctions. 

" Observe," says St. Ignatius, " that whenever we 
meditate on the Life of Christ our Lord, substantially 
the same three preludes are to be made, their form 
only changing in accordance with the subject-matter." 

First Point. What Men are without Christ, 
without Redemption, without Sanctifying Grace: 
Sinners, Atheists, Idolaters. 

Their Persons : " so varied in dress and manners, 
some white and others black, some in peace and others 
in war, some weeping and others laughing, some in 
health and others sick, some being born and others 
dying." — Though so different in many respects, they 
all agree in this, that they are on the highroad to per- 
dition, either because they do not believe the Teach- 
ings of Christ or because they do not observe His 
Commandments. Who would not be moved to com- 
passion at so pitiful a spectacle as the Eternal Ruin 
of so many millions and millions of men? For us 
living in the twentieth century of the Christian era, 
it is difficult to figure to ourselves the condition of 
human society as it was before the coming of Christ 
our Savior; the horrors of warfare, the tortures of 
imprisonment, the cruelties of slavery, the tyranny of 
power, the worship of vice, the shocking degradation 
of woman, the brutal perversity of man. Even now 
how frightful a state of things we witness in China, 
India, Africa ! Yet mankind was at no time entirely 
without the Grace of Redemption. How immense, 
then, would have been our misery, if the Redeemer 
had never even been promised? 



THE INCARNATION 139 

Their Words : " what people are saying, how they 
converse, how they swear and blaspheme." — The or- 
dinary conversation of worldlings is likely to give 
us a better idea of their inward dispositions than 
their studied appearance and outward manners. For 
it is usually out of the abundance of the heart that 
the mouth speaketh. Their favorite topics are, the 
best opportunities of making money, the chances of 
the political game, the latest fashions in clothing, 
the newest types of auto, the glories of their family, 
the shortcomings of their neighbor, the indulgence 
of their passions, the defense of their rights, the 
avenging of their wrongs. Their daily speech is 
largely a tissue of flatteries and insults, of lies and 
slanders, of boastings and indecencies, of complaints 
and curses. Not one word that bespeaks pure af- 
fection or genuine happiness. 

Their Actions: they eat and drink, they buy and 
sell, they toil and travel, they quarrel and fight, they 
steal and squander, they marry and divorce, they 
seduce and murder, they die and go down to Hell. — 
The actions of men are but the natural outcome of the 
blindness of their understanding, the malice of their 
will, and the fury of their passions. They are ex- 
clusively occupied with earthly goods, sensual 
pleasures, and empty honors, while totally forgetful 
of their True End and their Eternal Destiny. Hence 
they go on breaking every Commandment and run- 
ning from bad to worse, not to stop till they meet 
their final doom in Hell. 

All this should fill my soul with Grief, Gratitude, 
and Humility. Grief: for these men not only are 
very unhappy but also greatly offend the Divine 
Majesty. Gratitude : for I too might have been born 
under sundry disadvantages, in vicious surroundings, 



140 THIRD DAY 

of infidel parents, or among idolatrous savages. 
Humility : for in spite of so many and such precious 
advantages, I lived perhaps even for several years, 
no better than the rest, sharing in their folly and in 
their wretchedness. And even now, how sensitive I 
am still to the joys and ills of this world, how sloth- 
ful in the sanctification of my soul, how negligent 
about the salvation of my neighbor, how indifferent 
towards the imperishable and inconceivable treasures 
of Heaven. Yet, of one bound by such solemn and 
so oft repeated protestations of devotion to Christ 
the Lord, what else could be expected than that he 
should be wholly engrossed with the interests of his 
Adorable King. Thus the bad example of others 
should only serve to reanimate my desire and confirm 
my determination, henceforth to take as large a share 
as possible in the conquest of souls, by the generous 
and continual practice of Self -Denial. 

Second Point. The Blessed Virgin and the Angel 
Gabriel. 

Their Persons. — How utterly different Mary had 
been from the rest of mankind since the first moment 
of her existence, through that unique privilege, her 
Immaculate Conception. Truly, she was the glory of 
womanhood and the pride of our race. What humil- 
ity, what purity, what charity! What union with 
God ! How lively her Faith, how holy all her Works ! 
How poor her narrow cell, but also how peaceful ! I 
must remember that she received these wonderful 
gifts and graces also for the great benefit of men and 
in particular of myself, that I might learn to imitate 
her, as my Heavenly Queen, and might be prompted 
to implore her all-powerful intercession. In the same 
manner, whatever favors I have already received or 



THE INCARNATION 141 

may yet obtain, are intended by God not only for my 
own advancement but also for the good of my neigh- 
bor. As to the Angel, he was unceasingly engaged in 
praising, revering, and serving the Most High. How 
sublime his praise, how profound his reverence, how 
loving his service ! Oh ! that I may soon become simi- 
lar to this lofty Spirit. With what joy, in obedience 
to the Divine Behest, he descended as a messenger 
from Heaven to announce the coming of our Redeemer. 
Is this not also to be my favorite occupation : to pre- 
pare the way of the Lord? 

Their Words : " what the Angel and our Lady are 
saying." — " Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, 
blessed art thou among women ! " — " Behold the hand- 
maid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy 
word." — I must strive to imitate the Holy Angel in 
repeating his salutation, by doing so with greater at- 
tention, veneration, and devotion, than heretofore. 
I must strive to imitate also the Blessed Virgin by 
generously embracing whatever my Superiors, as the 
messengers of Almighty God, may propose, request, 
or command me, for my own sanctification or for the 
salvation of my neighbor. 

Their Actions: "what the Angel and our Lady 
are doing; namely, the Angel fulfilling the func- 
tions of a heavenly legate, and our Lady humbling 
herself and giving thanks to the Divine Majesty." — 
Both apply themselves with the utmost humility and 
fervor to their respective tasks assigned by Almighty 
God and thus procure Him great satisfaction and 
glory. How much trouble we could avoid and how 
much merit we could gain, if we would strictly mind 
our own business and give our undivided attention 
and energy to the performance of our own duties. 
Let us beg leave to join the Blessed Virgin and the 



142 THIRD DAY 

Holy Angel in adoring and thanking God made Man, 
in that lowly dwelling at Nazareth, for the salvation 
of the world, for the love of every single child of 
Adam. May we too by prayer, penance, and charity, 
become fit instruments for causing Christ our Lord 
to be born in the hearts of sinners and unbelievers, 
and for bringing them thus to the unspeakable bliss 
of Heaven! 

Third Point. The Adorable Trinity. 

Their Persons. " Consider the three Divine Per- 
sons as on the royal throne of their majesty, how they 
view the whole surface of the world and all nations 
in such blindness, and see them dying and descending 
into Hell." — Yes, such wilful blindness; obstinately 
refusing to acknowledge God their Creator or to obey 
His Holy Law, and dying consequently devoid of 
Supernatural Faith and destitute of Good Works, 
they go down to Hell. Alas! I too, for a consider- 
able time, shared in the delusion and wickedness of 
sinners, but while the three Divine Persons are filled 
with the most tender Compassion and Mercy towards 
all men, I have experienced in my own preservation, 
conversion, and vocation, the wonderful effects of 
their singular Providence and Predilection. " Glory 
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy 
Ghost." To Each I owe an everlasting debt of bound- 
less praise. 

Their Words. " Consider what the three Divine Per- 
sons are saying ; namely, ' Let us bring about the re- 
demption of the human race, and so forth.' " — What 
inconceivable Mercy ! While they were actually being 
offended so grievously by this miserable and perverse 
race of Adam, the Ever-Blessed Trinity decided in 
their eternity to accomplish its Redemption by the 



THE INCARNATION 143 

Incarnation of the Second Person, the Son of God 
and the Son of Mary. In this Adorable Decree each 
one of us was present to the Divine Mind, and it was 
out of Personal Love for every single man that the 
Eternal Word undertook to be born in this world, to 
labor, to suffer, and to die on the Cross. What return 
could I ever make for so much Love? Even if I were 
to spend every moment of my earthly existence in 
lowly toil, in complete destitution, in acute torment, 
it would be as nothing in comparison with what Christ 
has deigned to do for me, His faithless servant. 

Their Actions. " Consider what the three Divine 
Persons are doing; namely, working out the most 
Holy Incarnation:" the Father creating the soul by 
His Almighty Power, the Holy Ghost forming the 
body in the most pure womb of the Blessed Virgin, 
and the Son taking to Himself this human nature in 
the unity of Person. — "And the Word was made 
Flesh." God had become Man. O truly Infinite 
Condescension! He came into the world, and the 
world, blinded by greed and lust and pride, refused 
to acknowledge Him. But we, believing, adore and 
love. 

The Sacred Humanity, then, on coming into exist- 
ence, was hypostatically united to the Person of 
the Word. Christ, even as Man, clearly saw the Di- 
vine Essence and enjoyed, consequently, the bliss of 
Heaven. He was fully conscious of being constituted 
the Head of angels and of men, adorned with every 
Supernatural Virtue and Godlike Gift in the very 
highest degree in which they can be bestowed on a 
human soul or a created spirit, and in such fulness 
that from Him Grace is derived to all mankind. He 
further recognized that all these priceless favors, all 
this incomparable greatness, had been lavished on 



144 THIRD DAY 

Him without any antecedent merit of His own, but 
through the pure liberality of the Adorable Trinity. 
On seeing Himself thus adorned, preferred, and ele- 
vated, above every other creature, and possessing a 
Soul preeminently noble and grateful, He could not 
but conceive a most ardent desire to acknowledge so 
many Blessings and to correspond to so much Love, 
by wholly immolating Himself to the Eternal Will. 

But as He witnessed at the same time the sad con- 
dition of the human race and of each individual on 
the face of the earth, and beheld the far sadder fate 
of the numberless victims of sin in Hell, He under- 
stood that this immense wealth of Heavenly Favors 
had been conferred on Him also for the relief of His 
brethren exposed to such imminent danger of ever- 
lasting perdition. And this realization enkindled in 
His most Generous Heart that tender sympathy for 
all mankind and that ardent zeal for the glory of His 
Eternal Father, which made Him embrace a Life 
full of toil and hardship, and a Death most cruel and 
shameful, for the sanctification and salvation of every 
single human being. He would start the Divine Con- 
quest, but he would also invite other men to continue 
and complete it, and these His companions were to 
learn from Him the tactics of this Spiritual Warfare, 
this Warfare of Humility and Love, in order that they 
might likewise share in His endless Glory. 

However, what I must bear in mind especially, is 
that the Love burning in the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
was from the beginning a Personal Love for each one 
of us, and hence that it was truly for the sanctifica- 
tion and salvation of every child of Adam, that He 
entered upon this Life of poverty, obscurity, labor, 
and suffering, which He knew would terminate in the 
unutterable torments and ignominy of the Cross. 



THE INCARNATION 145 

In return for so much Love, surely, the least I can do 
is to follow Him in actual poverty, in humble labor, 
in constant self-denial, in sincere charity, in perfect 
obedience. But day after day I must strive to follow 
Him more faithfully and more closely. By thus be- 
ginning to share in His Self-immolation, how many 
souls I can help to save for time and eternity! Al- 
ready now I must long for my death, in whatever 
manner it may come and by whatever sufferings it may 
be preceded, as my supreme sacrifice in union with 
Jesus Crucified. For not until the seed fall on the 
earth and pass through corruption, will it produce 
fruit. Meanwhile, to realize more thoroughly my 
paramount obligation of imitating Christ my Savior, 
I cannot do better than to study and invoke the Im- 
maculate Heart of Mary ever most intimately united 
to the Adorable Heart of Jesus, from the first moment 
of the Incarnation. 

Colloquy. — " At the end," says St. Ignatius, " a col- 
loquy is to be made, thinking what I ought to say to 
the three Divine Persons, or to the Eternal Word 
made Flesh, or to His Mother and our Lady ; making 
petition according to what I feel in myself in order 
better to follow our Lord just now become Man." I 
will give humble and heartfelt thanks for the immense 
Benefit of Redemption, the grace of baptism, the 
advantage of a good education, but especially for the 
signal favor of having been called out of the world 
to share in the labors of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 
I will beg for supernatural light and energy to follow 
Him as closely as possible in the conquest of souls, by 
my own sanctification, by the practice of prayer, hu- 
mility, penance, charity, and obedience. For only 
thus can I become a fit instrument for the salvation 



146 THIRD DAY 

of my neighbor. In conclusion, I will pray that my 
proud and selfish heart may become animated and 
inflamed with the most holy and generous disposi- 
tions of Jesus and Mary. " Then I will say an Our 
Father." 



A. M. D. G. 

" MY CHILD, GIVE MB THY HEART." 

FOURTH DAY 



special patron: St, Ignatius of Loyola. 

motto : " Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? " — 
Acts 9 :6. 

spirit: Self -Devotion in following our Lord. 

reading: Imitation; Bk. I, C. 7, 17, 19. 
Bk. II, C. 1, 7, 8. 
Bk. Ill, C. 18, 27, 37, 39. 
Kules and Customs. 



Strive to embrace your Vocation with intense grati- 
tude as a wholly unmerited favor of Christ our Lord, 
and study how you may henceforth correspond to it 
more faithfully and more generously. Go over the 
work of the three preceding days and gather up your 
Lights and Resolutions. 



THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH 

Introductory Remarks. — Let us continue the Re- 
treat with great earnestness, confidence, and gen- 
erosity. To slacken is dangerous. Life is a warfare. 
We entered the Eeligious State, not to escape from 
the troubles and burdens of a life in the world, but 
to follow Christ our Lord, to embrace His Cross, with 
all its labors, sufferings, and humiliations. We 
entered in order to save our souls at any cost, by first 
sanctifying ourselves with all the means at our dis- 
posal, and then also becoming instrumental in the 
salvation of others. This Retreat will show us how 
to attain our purpose. 

Unless we ourselves possess the solid principles 
that are to shape our efforts towards perfection and 
unremittingly apply ourselves to the difficult task of 
our own sanctification, how can we dream of ever 
doing any good to those entrusted to our care or 
guidance? Instead, we shall both delude ourselves 
and delude others; far from leading our neighbor to 
God, we shall lead him into worldliness, vanity, sen- 
suality, sin, and perdition. The only way to benefit a 
single soul is the one marked out by our Divine 
Savior. 

How is it that so many of our colleges and acade- 
mies turn out so few earnest, whole-souled, and zeal- 
ous Catholics? How is it that, generally, they yield 
so few Vocations? There must be a reason for this. 
Let us not put the blame where it is not. No doubt, 
in many cases the early home training of those chil- 



THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH 149 

dren has been very deficient. Yet we ourselves also 
may be largely the cause of these poor results, through 
our lack of prayer, of humility, of mortification, of 
obedience, of apostolic charity. If, instead of aiming 
at substantial results, we are satisfied with making 
a show by the number of our pupils, by their elegant 
and smart appearance at commencement exercises and 
theatrical displays, by the sumptuousness of our 
houses and parlors, by our extensive learning and 
polite manners and distinguished looks; we are sim- 
ply thwarting the loving designs of Christ, and the 
upshot will be a multitude of worldly young men and 
women, without firm faith, without solid morality, 
without self-sacrificing devotion, people that look 
chiefly for wealth, amusements, and distinctions. 

Let us, then, during this holy Retreat, strive to get 
a clear idea of our numerous failings, but especially 
of the daily imperfections and venial faults of last 
year. Let us strive to get a clear idea of the means 
we have to adopt in order to expiate fully our past 
sins, whether committed in the World or in Religion. 
Let us strive to get a clear idea how we can improve 
our vocal and mental prayer, how we can derive more 
profit from our examens and confessions, how we can 
live more closely and lovingly united to God our 
Lord. This Retreat should not be suffered to pass 
before all these matters are thoroughly settled. 
Everything should be set right both with Almighty 
God and with ourselves ; with Almighty God, by con- 
fessing our faults with sincere contrition and earnest 
resolution to amend; with ourselves, by removing all 
our doubts, difficulties, and perplexities. We must 
not hesitate to ask advice. It will never harm us to 
be too open, too candid ; but it may harm us very much 
to be too close, too reserved. The only guarantee to be 



150 FOURTH DAY 

guided safely is readiness to manifest our whole heart. 

Subject of this Meditation. — " He went down with 
them, and came to Nazareth; and He was subject to 
them. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and 
grace with God and men." — Luke 2 :51-52. 

Composition of Place. — The home of the Holy 
Family at Nazareth, built against the side of a hill 
and comprising a small grotto formed in the rock. 

Petition. — An intimate knowledge of our Lord, 
Who for me led a life of Poverty, Labor, and Obe- 
dience, that I may love Him more sincerely and follow 
Him more generously. 

First Point. The Poverty of Nazareth. 

The earnings of a common artisan in a small village 
like Nazareth must surely have afforded but a very 
stinted maintenance. We may be pretty sure that 
Joseph could barely procure the necessaries of life, 
and that sometimes, both he and those dependent 
on his care, were in actual want. Thus Jesus, for 
love of me and to atone for my seeking after material 
comforts and sensible gratifications, wished to suffer 
the sting and the reproach of Poverty. For, of course, 
the son of a poor carpenter was looked down on and 
despised by other people that were better off. Yet 
what serenity, what peace, what happiness, in this 
heavenly home! How gladly and generously Mary 
and Joseph shared in the voluntary Poverty of Jesus. 
Every one that wants to live on intimate terms with 
Jesus must strive to become truly poor. Thus the 
Apostles were sometimes content to pluck a few ears of 
wheat to still their hunger. What is my regard, my 
love for Poverty? Do I esteem and cherish the poor 



THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH 151 

more than the rich, inasmuch as Jesus forsook riches 
to embrace Poverty? Do I at least receive and treat 
poor people with the same regard as I would wealthy 
persons? Do I love the accompaniments of Poverty, 
mean clothes, old shoes, a hard bed, a bare room, 
simple or even somewhat scanty food? Do I rejoice 
in being made to experience at times some of its ef- 
fects : hunger and thirst, cold and heat, inconvenience 
and privation? that thus I may become more like to 
my Lord and Savior, Who suffered all these things for 
my sake and on my account, a sinner, "propter me 
et pro me, peccatore." Am I ready to solicit alms, to 
beg from door to door, after the example of the Saints, 
— Francis of Assisi, Ignatius Loyola, Benedict Labre? 
Do I at least avail myself gladly of every opportunity 
to appear poor, by humbly asking my Superior for the 
necessary apparel, stationery, carfare, and so forth? 
Am I delighted to get a taste of real want, in finding 
myself deprived of human aid or involved in serious 
difficulty, that thus I may practise sweet and firm re- 
liance on the Providence of our Heavenly Father, 
Who feeds even the birds of the air and clothes the 
flowers of the field? 

But to return to the Holy Family at Nazareth, what 
order, what cleanliness in this humble dwelling, in 
spite of their limited resources! So every Religious 
House, in spite of its Poverty, should be conspic- 
uous for its neatness. Each inmate should do his 
share. No disorder, no dirt, either in the main build- 
ing, or in the annexes or grounds. A slovenly Relig- 
ious is a burden to a poor Community, a disgrace to 
his holy Profession, and a scandal both to his com- 
panions and to seculars. Apart from exceptional 
circumstances, how can a Religious pretend to keep 
his soul free from sin, if he cannot even keep his room 



152 FOURTH DAY 

free from dust and disorder? Where there is no 
spirit of regularity and cleanliness, there is no Spirit 
of Poverty either. 

Again the home of the Holy Family was not devoid 
of some simple ornaments, but how unworldly they 
were, how apt to raise the mind to Heaven. Some- 
times, through misplaced amateurism or through sheer 
thoughtlessness, there may be found in Religious 
Houses paintings or pictures that one would hardly 
expect to see in the home of an ordinary Catholic. 
If they are really valuable works of art, they had 
better be sold; if not, they should be burned. 

Poor people usually lead a very obscure existence, 
and so it was with our Divine Lord. Jesus remained 
hidden in that lowly home at Nazareth from His re- 
turn out of Egypt till the opening of His ministry. 
He who had come to convert mankind by the Preach- 
ing of the Gospel, thus spent by far the greater por- 
tion of His life in Obscurity. How foolish, then, 
must it be to make so much of whatever brings us 
before the public. Do I love to remain hidden, do I 
really seek to be ignored, do I aspire to be employed 
in the lowliest office and the commonest work? Do I 
rejoice at being set aside to make room for others, 
and at getting to be considered as of little use or of 
no account? These trials will come sooner or later 
for most of us, until, with increasing years, we are 
definitely laid on the shelf. Oh ! what a shame for me 
to be still dreaming of some high office, some place of 
authority, some position of influence. How unlike to 
my Savior and my God! But while I yet feel full 
of health and energy, let me not go about my occupa- 
tions, be they loftly or lowly, in such a manner as to 
remind everybody of my presence. Precipitation, 
hurry, and noise, characterize the promptings of Na- 



THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH 153 

ture, whereas the workings of Grace are marked by 
reflection, self-control, and quiet. I should apply this 
test to my thoughts, my words, my actions, my cor- 
respondence, and even to my resolutions. What is 
done hastily, is in most cases badly done. And since 
our Lord, the Incarnate Wisdom, seeks Obscurity and 
Oblivion, why should I strain to make a little show in 
this world? 

Yet, notwithstanding His love of remaining hidden, 
Jesus caused His light to shine in the narrow circle 
assigned to Him, for the time, by the Providence of 
His Eternal Father. He advanced in age, in wisdom, 
and in grace, before God and men. Poor in earthly 
goods, He abounded in heavenly favors. My imme- 
diate surroundings, the Religious Community of which 
I am an unworthy member, this should be, before 
everything else, the object of my fervent Prayers and 
apostolic Zeal. Does my light — my good example, 
my regular observance, my charity, my obedience, — 
shine before my companions? Have I too, with ad- 
vancing years, grown in True Wisdom and Heavenly 
Grace before my brethren, my pupils, my acquaint- 
ances? Or, as to wisdom, have I, on the contrary, 
not become somewhat inflated with my wider business- 
experience or greater book-learning? And as to 
grace, have I, perhaps, not grown remiss in my earlier 
fervor of spirit, in my former eagerness for Morti- 
fication and Humiliation, in the generous Imitation 
of Christ my King? But the means of Holiness are 
still within my reach. The only thing needed is the 
will to use them with energy and perseverance. By do- 
ing so, I yet can render my few remaining years fruit- 
ful of supernatural blessings to innumerable souls. 
Trusting, therefore, in the Divine Power, I now renew 
my determination to strive after Sanctity ; and I will 



154 FOURTH DAY 

begin this very instant by retrenching ever superflu- 
ity in clothing, furniture, food, drink, rest, and recrea- 
tion, as well as by renouncing the object of every un- 
due attachment and the indulgence of every faulty 
habit. 

Second Point. The Labor of Nazareth. 

Jesus was truly in Labor from the days of His child- 
hood, according to the scriptural prophecies. First 
He helped His Holy Mother, then He assisted also His 
beloved Foster -Father, and later on He Himself exer- 
cised the trade of a carpenter. Why? To teach us 
the dignity, the necessity, and the value of Labor. 
Labor, indeed, in as far as it means activity, is honor- 
able and ennobling ; since God Himself is perfect and 
substantial Activity. But in as far as it means 
fatigue, it is a penalty, a penance, imposed on Adam 
and on all his children. " In the sweat of thy brow, 
thou shalt eat thy bread." Jesus, by His toil, set us 
the example of submission to this Divine Sentence, 
pronounced, not against Him, but against our First 
Parents for their disobedience, and merited no less 
by ourselves on account of our own transgressions. 
It was to atone for my sins, in particular, that He 
suffered, during so many years, the inconvenience, 
hardship, and weariness attached to earthly Labor. 

Besides, our Lord wished to animate us to constant 
toil, because it is the great means to subdue the ani- 
mal body and its unruly passions. Just as the 
pleasurable cultivation of the garden of Eden would 
have hindered Adam from falling into that disgrace 
which covered him with confusion at the voice of God, 
so the penitential exertion to which he was henceforth 
subjected, was intended by God to enable him to rise 
from his degradation. Since man had refused alle- 



THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH 155 

giance to his Maker, the earth had rebelled against its 
master, and since the soul had aspired to be like the 
Lord of Glory, the body had striven to enslave her 
spiritual faculties to its brutal instincts. But the 
penalty for all this disorder would also prove its rem- 
edy. By Labor, the earth was again to be made sub- 
servient to man, the body to be subjected to the mind, 
and the soul to be rendered obedient to God. Thus 
Labor, — and consequently also fatigue, weariness, 
exhaustion, — if borne generously, besides being a 
powerful help to Humility and an excellent instru- 
ment of Penance, is the great safeguard of Holy 
Purity. Let us bear this also in mind when we have 
to do with lazy children or indolent students. They 
are necessarily proud and sensual and bad, because 
they discard the God-given means to correct them- 
selves. Labor, however, is not any frivolous pastime 
or self-chosen occupation, lounging, talking, reading, 
playing, sightseeing, or visiting ; but exertion of mind 
or body, imposed or sanctioned by Holy Obedience. 
All else, for us Religious, is idleness. 

But it was not enough for Jesus to devote Him- 
self to Labor, no; He chose, besides, manual and 
humble Labor, such as is required in the care of a 
household and the trade of an artisan. Sometimes 
we are inclined to think little of our occupations, be- 
cause they are commonplace and lowly. Let us give 
up these unreasonable, unchristian, irreligious views, 
by considering the example set us by our Divine Lord, 
and let us strive, for His love and reverence, to shun 
what would make us prominent, and be eager to re- 
nounce pleasant pastimes for useful drudgery. Par- 
ticularly as a poor village carpenter, the lot of Jesus 
must, indeed, have been very humble. We can easily 
fancy how He would be received rudely by those coun- 



156 FOURTH DAY 

try folk, commanded imperiously, criticised unjustly, 
and sent away scornfully, without the payment needed 
to buy bread for the Holy Family. But oh ! how joy- 
fully He anticipated such humiliations, how His 
Sacred Heart relished the consequent confusion! 
With what Meekness He would answer or even apolo- 
gize, with what Patience He would endeavor to satisfy 
the whims of His employers! All this to confound 
my self-conceit, to rebuke my self-will, to uproot my 
pride, to convert my heart. 

How does Jesus Labor? With what Purity of In- 
tention, with what Recollection of Demeanor, and yet 
with what Thorough Application to even the smallest 
details! And while His hands are thus busily en- 
gaged, where are His Thoughts, where is His Heart? 
My thoughts are usually wandering on almost any 
subject, or else my heart is wholly engrossed with 
some pet creature, some trifling hobby, some worldly 
news, some fanciful project. But His Thoughts are 
constantly dwelling on the things of Heaven, the glory 
of His Father, the salvation of His brethren; while 
His Sacred Heart is completely absorbed in Prayer 
and in Love. I must strive to behold and watch my 
Savior at His Daily Toil ; I must learn from Him how 
to sanctify myself in my various occupations. 

Third Point. The Obedience of Jesus at Nazareth. 

Who Obeyed? The Incarnate Word, the Wisdom 
of the Father, the Almighty Creator, the Eternal 
Lord. If, then, He deemed it expedient and necessary 
to obey, how futile must be my pretexts, how senseless 
my repugnances that hinder me from yielding Perfect 
Obedience? Of all things this is the one I must real- 
ize most thoroughly, namely, the value of Obedience 
as the practical expression of Humility, and hence 



THE HIDDEN LIFE AT NAZARETH 157 

the necessity of steadily advancing in this virtue, 
so as to reproduce in all my actions the Wonderful 
Example of Jesus Christ. 

For how did He Obey? Our Savior was subject in 
all things, even in the most menial duties, even in 
matters He understood incomparably better than 
those who commanded. Let me, then, often contem- 
plate this Divine Obedience, so prompt and exact in 
Execution, so joyful and loving in Will, so blind and 
intelligent in Judgment, reflecting on my own Obedi- 
ence in things temporal and spiritual, and recogniz- 
ing, full of shame and sorrow, how far I am still from 
closely imitating my Adorable Master. 

Lastly, whom did Jesus Obey? His Parents, His 
own creatures. What an immense distance between 
the superior and the subject! the superior a mere 
man, the subject Almighty God. Yet Mary and 
Joseph, as well as the religious and civil magistrates, 
were for Jesus the Official Representatives of His 
Eternal Father. That was enough to show them pro- 
found Reverence, loving Submission, and unhesitat- 
ing Obedience. Who are in my regard the Special 
Representatives of the Most High? Am I impressed 
chiefly by the good or bad qualities I see in them, 
inasmuch as they are weak and fallible men; or am 
I guided solely by Supernatural Faith, acknowledging 
in them the Interpreters of the Divine Will and the 
Vicegerents of the Supreme Majesty? 

Colloquy. — Since it was for me, in particular, that 
Jesus led this life of Poverty, Labor, and Obedience, 
with what confidence ought I not to beseech Him, 
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin and His 
holy Foster-Father, for a deep and ardent love of 
actual privation, humble toil, and complete subjec- 



158 FOURTH DAY 

tion? How earnestly I should beg of Mary and 
Joseph, that, as they daily derived such immense 
profit from the Divine Example which they had con- 
stantly before their eyes, so they may obtain for me 
the grace of ever keeping before my mind and ear- 
nestly pondering in my heart, the Perfect Virtues of 
Jesus, my Savior and my God, toiling for me at Naz- 
areth. Lastly, I will pray that I too, by the steady 
and loving Imitation of my Heavenly King, may 
daily grow in grace and wisdom before God and 
men, before the other members of this Community, 
which is to be a copy of the Holy Family, before all 
seculars and outsiders with whom I have to come in 
contact, but especially in the sight of Jesus, my Ador- 
able Master. — Our Father. 



THE STAY IN THE TEMPLE 

Subject of this Meditation. — Jesus being twelve 
years old, the Holy Family went up to Jerusalem 
according to the custom of the feast. When the days 
were completed, Mary and Joseph set out on their 
home journey, while the child Jesus remained in Jeru- 
salem without their knowledge. They missed Him at 
nightfall, looked for Him in vain among their kins- 
folk and acquaintance, but found Him on the third 
day in the Temple amidst a group of doctors. — Luke 
2 :42-49. 

Composition of Place. — The road from Nazareth 
to Jerusalem, the narrow streets of the Holy City, the 
Temple. 

Petition. — An intimate knowledge of my Lord, 
Who for me made the sacrifice of His tenderest affec- 
tions, — for my instruction by His example, for my 
comfort by His affliction, for my pardon by His merit, 
— when He remained in the Temple without inform- 
ing His parents, that thus I may love Him more sin- 
cerely, and follow Him more courageously. 

First Point. The Journey of the Holy Family to 
Jerusalem. 

They went, says St. Luke, according to custom, but 
they certainly did not go merely through custom. To 
do things according to custom, means for us Religious, 
to do them according to the letter of our Rule and the 



160 FOURTH DAY 

spirit of our Institute, and hence to seek in them al- 
ways fresh occasions for practising humility, mortifi- 
cation, and charity. But to do things merely through 
custom, means to do them mechanically because one has 
got into the habit of doing them from a kind of inev- 
itable necessity, or to do them passionately because 
one has become strongly attached to them in conse- 
quence of some selfish motive, some natural aptitude. 
How do I perform my Spiritual Duties, according to 
custom or merely through custom? How do I fulfil 
my other duties, thoughtfully and religiously, or 
now mechanically, now passionately? 

Let us also consider that it was quite a journey in 
those days to go from Nazareth to Jerusalem ; partic- 
ularly for poor people it meant a great deal of fatigue, 
hardship, and even danger. Yet Jesus, Mary, and 
Joseph undertook it joyfully, knowing how many 
special graces God is wont to bestow under such cir- 
cumstances. How easy, on the contrary, it is for us 
Religious, to go to our chapel or our church, where 
we find not only the Majesty of the Most High but the 
very Person of the Word made Flesh. Do I adore 
Him there as often as the accomplishment of His Holy 
Will allows me? Again, am I practically convinced 
of the paramount importance, the priceless advantages 
of my Spiritual Duties? When I have a pretext to 
defer them or to shorten them, am I not too ready to 
avail myself of it? and do I not sometimes sacrifice 
them entirely to what is far less urgent? Nothing can 
wait, nothing can be put off, except our examens, our 
beads, our visits to the Blessed Sacrament. It is true 
that we may at times have to forego our prayers for 
the sake of charity or obedience, but in a well-regu- 
lated Community this happens rarely and not without 
an opportunity of repairing our loss. 



THE STAY IN THE TEMPLE 161 

It was during this journey that Jesus decided on 
leaving His Parents by staying back in the Temple 
without their knowledge. It is particularly in the 
observance of silence and the exercise of prayer, in 
the secret sanctuary of our soul, that we can learn to 
correspond to the manifold graces of Heaven, to yield 
to the ceaseless promptings of the Holy Spirit, to fol- 
low the powerful attractions of Divine Love towards 
self-sacrifice. It is only when we are recollected that 
we can at all expect to hear the voice of our Adorable 
Master calling us to greater exertion and loftier per- 
fection. Hence the diligent practice of the Presence 
of God is indispensable for our happiness and our 
sanctification. 

I may in spirit accompany the Holy Family on this 
journey, following a little in the rear as their most 
unworthy servant. With what genuine and charming 
recollection they proceed on their way, except at 
certain intervals, when Joseph reopens the conversa- 
tion with a joyous " Alleluia," " Praise ye the Lord." 
Hence, what Union with God, what peace of soul, what 
Perfection of Charity ! How each one strives to profit 
by the beautiful example of the others, and how each 
is to the others an inspiring model! What gentle- 
ness, what gravity, what patience! But now they 
are going to make a short halt. I will approach Saint 
Joseph and ask him whether I may fetch some water 
to wash the dust off their feet, or may care for the ass 
which is to carry the Blessed Virgin over the moun- 
tain passes. Meanwhile I hear Joseph giving direc- 
tions to Jesus about gathering some dry grass, and 
also to Mary who wished to know where he would like 
them to take their little repast. And I see how Mary 
and Jesus obey, so promptly, so exactly, so lovingly. 
Then they bring out their provisions, they are scanty 



162 FOURTH DAY 

and simple, the bread is pretty hard and the cheese 
looks stale. But how devoutly they say grace, not as 
a mere formula recited carelessly through routine, 
but as a real and earnest prayer coming from their in- 
most hearts. I notice how the Blessed Virgin strives 
to serve Saint Joseph and even Jesus with the better 
portion, and how the Holy Child begs His dear 
Mother to take it herself, since for Him the other will 
do just as well. And how modest they are in all their 
looks and movements, though evidently their little 
meal is thoroughly seasoned with hunger. How care- 
ful also, almost scrupulous, some one might think, not 
to waste anything! But they are poor people, and 
they realize it, and they are glad to be so. What heav- 
enly joy is all the while mirrored in their saintly coun- 
tenances! And how delightful their conversation, 
about the coming festivity, the sacred buildings, and 
so forth ! How eagerly and respectfully Jesus is ask- 
ing questions, and with what docility and attention 
He listens to their answers. 

Second Point. Jesus Remains Behind in the 
Temple. 

I may now accompany the Holy Family right up to 
the Temple. That is their place of rest ; for they are 
spiritual persons, not carnal, and their souls are able 
to pray in spite of the weariness of their bodies. On 
the contrary, my soul is so truly imprisoned in this 
corruptible body, that the least physical indisposition 
interferes with mental application, especially with 
Prayer and Meditation. But it shall be so no more. 
In imitation of the Divine Child and His holy 
Parents, I must strive to overcome myself, I must dis- 
card the complaints of the flesh, and if necessary, I 
must chastise it and force it into submission. Be- 



THE STAY IN THE TEMPLE 163 

sides, on reaching a destination or stopping in a town, 
my first and foremost care shall be to visit the church 
or chapel and adore the Blessed Sacrament. 

Keeping, then, in mind their great fatigue, let me 
contemplate the Holy Family during the religious 
functions in the Temple. Saint Joseph is with the 
men in the court of the Israelites, the Blessed Virgin 
is with other women from Galilee in the outer court, 
while Jesus is in one of the porticos amid a group of 
children under the supervision of some relative. I 
may note particularly the deep reverence manifested 
in all their outward bearing and relish their inward 
devotion, the faith, the confidence, and the love that 
filled their hearts. What they implored most ear- 
nestly from God, was light to know His Adorable Will 
and strength to accomplish It perfectly. I will pre- 
sume to join them and offer my prayers in union with 
theirs. Here, in their company, I must learn how to 
make my Meditation. Yes, I must learn to pray. 
For without the habit of Prayer, without constant and 
ardent Prayer, in Meditation and Mass and Com- 
munion and Examens and Beads and Office and 
throughout the day, there is no detachment from 
creatures, and without detachment from creatures 
there is no Following of Christ, no conquest of souls. 

But Jesus has abandoned Himself entirely to the 
Holy Spirit. I will strive to realize all that passes 
in His Sacred Heart, for though Divine inasmuch as 
It belongs to the Person of the Eternal Word, It is 
also Human, full of sympathetic love and tender solici- 
tude for His earthly Parents. Indeed, the affection of 
Jesus towards Mary and Joseph is incomparably 
more deep and ardent than any other child of His age 
can ever feel towards its father and mother; and if 
He has decided on leaving them for a few days, let us 



164 FOURTH DAY 

be convinced that it is not through any coldness or 
indifference. No, His Gentle Soul is racked with 
pain, His Loving Heart is crushed with anguish, at the 
prospect of the separation. But He knows how to sac- 
rifice His Purest Affections to the Will of His Heav- 
enly Father. And though Mary and Joseph are the 
Holiest Persons that ever lived, though they would 
never place the slightest obstacle to His work for the 
glory of God, yet He is resolved to abandon them as 
soon as the appointed hour strikes. How much more 
reason, then, have I to conquer my affections for per- 
sons dangerous to my spiritual welfare, such as by 
word or example might hinder me from doing the Di- 
vine Will, and to tear myself loose from any creature, 
towards which I begin to feel an undue inclination or 
attraction. Evidently, I ought to be no less generous 
and resolute in overcoming any undue repugnance or 
aversion that should come between my soul and the 
call of Grace. 

Jesus, however, not only suffers intensely because 
He is to be deprived of the company of His beloved 
Mother and cherished Foster-Father, but He is still 
more distressed because of their own bereavement and 
desolation. For He knows and realizes all the pain 
He is going to cause them by this unexpected separa- 
tion; their restless anxiety, their heartbreaking sad- 
ness, their bitter and ceaseless tears. Yet even this 
fact cannot alter His decision. When God deigns 
to manifest to us His Adorable Will or merely His 
Good Pleasure, we ought to obey Him without delay, 
in spite of the sorrow and affliction we may thus bring 
on those near and dear to us. Our affection for per- 
sons, however good they may be, ought always to 
retain its supernatural purity and nobility; it must 
never degenerate into merely natural sentiment. On 



THE STAY IN THE TEMPLE 165 

certain occasions we may have even to set aside every 
human consideration and cut asunder every tie of 
kindred or friendship, for the sake of the Heavenly 
Kingdom. It may be either wicked persecution driving 
us into exile or Holy Obedience assigning us to a dis- 
tant post. In all such cases let this be our consola- 
tion, that our sacrifice will turn to the great benefit 
not only of ourselves, but also of the very persons 
whom we forsook at the Voice of God. On the other 
hand, let us be convinced that by entertaining, or 
rather by not extirpating, an inordinate attachment, 
we shall not only inflict great harm on ourselves, but 
also bring spiritual injury on others. Many a bud- 
ding Vocation to the Eeligious Life has thus been 
choked by unmanly softness and sentimental indul- 
gence, by indiscreet praise and silly flattery. When 
we notice that a child has been especially favored by 
God, let us rather strive to awaken and foster in that 
soul the spirit of gratitude, of self-devotion, of humil- 
ity, and of self-denial. But if instead we rouse and 
feed its selfishness, its sensuality, its idleness, its 
worldliness, and its vanity, far from seconding the 
work of Grace, as we intended, we run a great risk of 
strengthening the power of Evil. A most lamentable 
and baneful error, which can be avoided only by such 
as labor constantly at curing the corruption of their 
own heart. 

The lesson, therefore, I have to learn from this He- 
roic Conduct of Jesus my Lord, and the grace I have 
to implore from Him in this Contemplation, is that 
of an entire Detachment from all objects, places, 
offices, and especially persons, in order to be like to 
Him, to Mary, and to Joseph ; a Detachment so thor- 
ough and perfect as to enable me to bear at any time 
the complete spoliation of things created, even of spir- 



166 FOURTH DAY 

itual friendships and supernatural consolations, not 
only with patient resignation but with the utmost 
readiness and joy. In the light of the Divine Ex- 
ample set me by Jesus Christ, my most Loving Savior, 
I must examine myself carefully on this complete De- 
tachment from all creatures, I must search my heart 
and discover those inordinate, unmortified tendencies 
of sympathy or antipathy, of attraction or aversion, 
which up to this have kept me back from God and pre- 
vented me from belonging wholly to Him, from ad- 
vancing towards real Sanctity. Unless I do this now, 
unless I find them out now, unless I resolve to root 
them up now, the coming year will be the same as the 
outgoing and this Eetreat will prove even more barren 
of results than any previous one. 

However, there is yet another matter that deserves 
our attention. If Jesus was so painfully affected by 
the leaving of His most holy Parents, without any 
fault or imperfection on their part ; who can tell what 
agony His Sacred Heart experienced at the thought of 
so many a Soul enriched with Sanctifying Grace, so 
many a Religious favored with signal privileges, wil- 
fully separating from Him by inordination and sin! 
Am I not, perhaps, of the number of these ingrates? 
What, then, am I going to do in order to atone for my 
past ingratitude and to console my Sorrowing Lord? 

Third Point. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple. 

Mary and Joseph seek the Holy Child during three 
days. — I will endeavor to realize their apprehension 
and their grief. I will follow them in their fruitless 
search through the streets of Jerusalem. Yet what 
predominated in their souls was profound humility 
and loving conformity to the Divine Will. They too 
offered to God the sacrifice of even their noblest affec- 



THE STAY IN THE TEMPLE 167 

tions, and it was in this way that the absence of Jesus 
contributed to their progress in Perfection. Who, 
indeed, could measure the tenderness and ardor of 
their love for Jesus, the All-Beautiful, or express the 
intensity and fulness of their happiness in His Heav- 
enly Company! But it is precisely this immolation 
of our heart, from the motive of Charity or at the word 
of Obedience, which is sure to draw down upon those 
we love the most abundant graces. 

Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the Temple. — They 
had sought Him in vain among their kinsfolk and 
acquaintance; but they found Him as soon as they 
entered the Sanctuary of Jehovah. If we make to 
God the offering of our feelings, if we sacrifice to Him 
our natural affections, we shall find them again, puri- 
fied, intensified, divinized, often already in the Re- 
ligious Cloister, in the House of the Lord, oftener still 
in the Sacred Heart of our Lord, in the Adorable 
Eucharist, and unfailingly in the Heavenly Jeru- 
salem. And in proportion to the generosity of our 
Detachment, shall we be compensated with a tenfold, 
a thirtyfold, and even a hundredfold. More than 
this: Jesus Himself will be our Reward exceeding 
Great; already here on earth, our soul will enjoy the 
Intimate Friendship of Almighty God and be inun- 
dated with torrents of delight in the midst of suffer- 
ing and humiliation. 

Let me also reflect, however, that while Mary and 
Joseph sought the Holy Child so sorrowfully and per- 
severingly, I, after losing His sweet intercourse 
through my own fault, remained not seldom for days 
and weeks, perhaps even for months and years, with- 
out recognizing my misfortune and my guilt, without 
taking a single step to recover His former Friendship 
and gladsome Presence. Oh ! how I ought to be over- 



168 FOURTH DAY 

whelmed with shame and grief at the recollection of 
so senseless, so heartless, so inhuman a conduct. 

Mary humbly and affectionately remonstrates with 
Jesus, and receives a most loving and satisfactory 
reply. — " My son," said the Blessed Virgin, " why 
hast Thou done so to us? Behold, Thy father and I 
have sought Thee sorrowing." And Jesus answered 
them: "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know 
that I must be about my Father's business? " This 
reply was dictated by His ardent Zeal for the glory 
of God, His tender Affection for His Parents, and His 
prudent Reserve towards the doctors of the Law. " I 
acted thus in order to do the work given Me by My 
Heavenly Father, and you knew that I could not be 
engaged in anything else than the accomplishment 
of His Adorable Will. You had not lost Me through 
any fault of yours. Why, then, did you seek Me? It 
was only because of your great love and burning solic- 
itude." Am I too always about the business of my 
Heavenly Father, in union with Jesus, after the ex- 
ample of Mary and Joseph? Or do I still use my time 
independently of Obedience, just according as I feel 
impelled by my own likes and dislikes, by my natural 
indolence or restlessness? 

Colloquy with Saint Joseph, the Blessed Virgin, 
and the Holy Child Jesus ; beseeching each in turn for 
some share in those heroic virtues of which they set 
such shining examples during their visit to Jerusalem. 
I will ask in particular that, through the continual 
and diligent exercise of Prayer, my heart may become 
like to theirs, thoroughly detached from all earthly 
bonds, completely engrossed with the things of heaven, 
and solely intent on the fulfilment of the Divine Will. 
I will also implore my Adorable Master that, in my 



THE STAY IN THE TEMPLE 169 

daily Meditation, He may take my cold, wretched, 
selfish heart, and give me instead a pure, humble, and 
generous heart, a heart ready to make some genuine 
return for His Boundless Love when He comes to me 
in Holy Communion. — Our Father. 



THE MOTIVES OF HUMILITY 

Humility is that virtue which, by the loving 
acknowledgment of our own utter vileness as con- 
trasted with God's Sovereign Excellence, checks our 
false, disorderly self-esteem, and fosters our true, 
orderly self-contempt. Unfortunately, we are all 
blinded and hardened by pride. This is one of the 
worst effects of original and actual sin, a spiritual dis- 
ease almost identical with our very nature. The rem- 
edy is to consider attentively and prayerfully what 
we are of ourselves, what we made ourselves, and what 
we ought to become for the love of Christ our Lord ; in 
other words, to meditate on the Motives of Humility, 
our Nothingness, our Sinfulness, and our Vocation. 
While the first and second considerations serve chiefly 
to enlighten our mind, the third consideration aims 
principally at moving our will. For even though we 
should be fully convinced of our own unlimited base- 
ness, yet as long as we do not cherish this conviction 
in our inmost heart nor strive to express it in every 
detail of our conduct, we have not reached even the 
lowest degree of the virtue of Humility. 

First Motive of Humility. Of myself, I am a mere 
Nothing. 

God, of Himself, is Infinite Being and Perfect Ac- 
tivity, Pure Intelligence and Essential Love. What 
am I, of myself? I did not make myself; I was made. 
Of what? Of nothing. Nothing is the direct and 
absolute negation of all being. A blade of grass is 



THE MOTIVES OF HUMILITY 171 

something, a speck of dust is something; but I, of 
myself, am less than either, less than the most 
infinitesimal atom; I am nothing. Without God, I 
am the most beggarly of all beggars, the most helpless 
of all weaklings, the most wretched of all unfortu- 
nates; no, I am immeasurably less; I am nothing. 
Whatever good I possess, natural or supernatural, is 
not mine but God's. Whatever power, wisdom, or 
goodness I perceive in the various beings round about 
me, comes all from God, is all God's. But, on the 
other hand, whatever is defective, whether in myself or 
in others, reminds me in loud and unmistakable 
accents of my own utter nothingness. For what is a 
defect save the absence of some requisite being or some 
necessary quality, an approach to nothingness? So, 
whatever is poorly planned or clumsily arranged, re- 
calls to me that absolute void of intelligence which is my 
own. Whatever is bad or hurtful, speaks to me of that 
thorough lack of goodness which is my own. I can- 
not esteem what is defective, ill-managed, injurious; 
hence, if I wish to be consistent and just and truth- 
ful, I am not to value myself nor to be pleased with my- 
self, but I must make of myself no account whatever. 
Am I, then, to despise myself? No, at least not inas- 
much as I am only nothing. As such, I need not seek 
contempt but may rest satisfied with being completely 
ignored. But if I want to be esteemed and honored, 
or rather if I am not willing to be treated as per- 
fectly good-for-nothing, I do not seek the truth, I cher- 
ish falsehood, I am not walking in the light of God, 
I do not love God. Being thus thrown back upon my 
own nothingness, I must needs be miserable. On the 
contrary, what happiness to recognize that God is 
really all to us, and worthy of our most profound 
adoration and most ardent love ! How sweet this con- 



172 FOURTH DAY 

sciousness of being utterly destitute of all goodness 
and compelled, as it were, to place our entire confi- 
dence in God, to rely completely on Him, the Source 
of every blessing! The humble man alone can say 
from his heart : " My God and my all ! I rejoice that 
Thou art infinitely Mighty, Wise, Good, Just, and 
Perfect ; that Thou only art the most Holy, most High 
Lord. Thou art my All, and I, Thy creature, am 
wholly Thine, Thine by nature and Thine by love ! " 
This, then, I should constantly keep before my mind 
and strive to realize more fully every day, namely, 
that of myself I am nothing ; that for me it is the most 
natural thing to blunder and to fail ; that, if I do any 
good it is God's grace, if I understand anything it is 
God's light, if I possess anything it is God's gift. As 
long as I am in this mental attitude — which is the 
only correct one for any man and the only possible one 
for an honest person — how could I be scandalized at 
the w r ords or actions of others? They are simply 
doing what is natural to them and natural to me. If 
God were not to sustain me continually, at this very 
moment, I should commit faults far more serious, sins 
far more shameful, crimes far more detestable. Be- 
sides, what do I know about their circumstances or 
their intentions? With an understanding so limited 
and so darkened as mine, how can I assume and usurp 
the office of judge, reserved exclusively to God? Let 
us, therefore, never condemn any man, never think 
harshly of any man, never look down on any man. 
Whether he be a bad Catholic or a bitter Protestant or 
a benighted Infidel, let us always have a kind word 
for him and bear him a compassionate heart. How 
many of them, with only a small fraction of the graces 
heaped upon us, would have turned out good and 
holy! Just as some persons have received a larger 



THE MOTIVES OF HUMILITY 173 

share of temporal benefits, of wealth, learning, or 
energy, that they might be the open channels and 
willing instruments of the Divine Bounty towards 
those less richly endowed ; so others have been blessed 
with a greater abundance of spiritual favors, that they 
might communicate them, in God's name, to their less 
privileged brethren. To use one's talents any other 
way is nothing but ill-disguised self -idolatry. 

Again, if I honestly recognize my own numberless 
shortcomings and sincerely desire not to be esteemed 
except for God's gifts, what difficulty can I have in 
manifesting my interior to those appointed for my 
guidance on the road to Perfection and in laying open 
my heart as it really is ; my miserable correspondence 
to Divine Grace; by being taken up so deeply with 
earthly things and so slightly with the things of 
Heaven ; the many distractions I entertain in Prayer ; 
the scanty profit I derive from the Sacraments ; my un- 
charitableness, my impatience, my self-complacency, 
my self-indulgence; my frequent violations of Rule; 
my careless performance of duty; my general lack of 
holy enthusiasm and ardent zeal? Even if manifesta- 
tion of conscience were intended only to furnish us 
with a spur to self-examination and a lever for self- 
humiliation, it ought to be diligently practised by 
every sincere Religious, or rather by every sensible 
Christian. 

Second Motive of Humility. I Made Myself a 
Sinner. 

Were I only nothing of myself, I might rest con- 
tented with being utterly ignored. But no, I am less 
and worse than nothing, inasmuch as I made myself a 
sinner. For this means that I repaid God's incom- 
prehensible bounty with the blackest ingratitude and 



174 FOURTH DAY 

the grossest offenses. It means that I preferred a 
mere creature, another nothing like myself, to Him, 
the Infinite Goodness, Wisdom, and Power. And this 
shameful outrage I committed in His immediate Pres- 
ence — much more immediate than is our mutual pres- 
ence — in the Presence of so Holy a God, so Loving 
a Father. More than this, I have thus abused His 
own liberality, turning His own gifts against Himself ; 
I, an utter nothing, against Him, the Sovereign Lord. 
No wonder that St. Aloysius fainted away while 
confessing merely a few venial sins. But I who com- 
mitted so many and, perhaps, such grievous sins, what 
contempt can be too severe for me, what humiliation 
too great to atone for the insults I have inflicted on 
the Infinite Majesty? How profoundly I ought to 
despise myself, and how earnestly I ought to desire to 
be despised by all according to my deserts! I must 
use every allowable means to expiate my offenses, and 
invite all creatures to assist in punishing me for my 
ingratitude. What rebuke have I not merited? What 
labor can be too hard for me? Am I still to follow 
my likes and dislikes in everything, or shall I, hence- 
forth, seek to prefer everywhere God's Adorable Will 
in whatever way manifested? Indeed, I ought to 
look upon it as a special favor, to be burdened with the 
lowliest drudgery. I ought to be thankful when 
blamed or scolded, considering it a splendid oppor- 
tunity to make some reparation for my past faults. 
Not only must I persuade myself that the meanest 
things in the house should be assigned to my use, since 
they could suit nobody better ; but I must also, of my 
own accord, choose for myself always the poorest and 
the worst. I ought no longer to use anything as my 
own, for the simple reason that it is God's. Even if 
I had not taken a vow of poverty, I should still be care- 



THE MOTIVES OF HUMILITY 175 

ful not to waste or destroy any of His gifts. I must 
not only readily forgive those who have done me harm, 
but I must treat such as have in any way afflicted me, 
as my real benefactors and devoted friends. Having 
in the past, for the sake of creatures, become a rebel 
against God, I will in the future, for the love of God, 
become a servant to all men. But I will particularly 
strive to practise Perfect Obedience, prompt, exact, 
with thorough union of will and full conformity of 
judgment. 

By my sins I have greatly fostered my inborn tend- 
ency to evil, for every fault disfigures and weakens 
the soul in proportion to its gravity. Therefore, I 
have a special reason to keep strict guard over my 
senses, over my imagination, over my heart; and not 
to seek my ease, my rest, or my comfort, except when 
really necessary, though even then never at the sacri- 
fice of religious decorum or to the detriment of out- 
ward modesty. Not content with the various mortifi- 
cations imposed by rule on all the members of the 
Community, I will beg permission for additional pen- 
ances, and daily, if possible, inflict chastisement on 
my sinful flesh. For, besides having to wage a relent- 
less war against my corrupt self, I must also make due 
satisfaction for all my past sins to the Divine Justice. 
It is true that the Blood of Christ our Savior was shed 
to atone for our offenses ; yet, even so, there remains 
much to be paid for by ourselves, either in this world 
or in the next. So horrible and loathsome is the stain 
left by sin on the Soul, that if it were to be presented 
in this state before the throne of God, it would spon- 
taneously plunge itself into the terrible fire of Purga- 
tory. To stay in the Divine Presence, if such were 
possible under these circumstances, would be to it a 
torment incomparably more intense than all the suf- 



176 FOURTH DAY 

ferings inflicted by those cleansing flames. And the 
same holds true to some extent also in this life, of a 
soul that begins to love God in real earnest. It can- 
not bear to appear in prayer before Him, the Infinite 
Holiness, unless it has used every means to expiate its 
sins. It longs to wash away even the least stain, to 
pay off its debt to the last farthing ; and hence it eag- 
erly embraces every mortification and humiliation as 
a most valuable opportunity to attain its object. 

Third Motive of Humility. I Ought to Become a 
Saint. 

Though by nature a mere nothing, and by sin a hor- 
rid monster, yet by grace I am called to become like 
to Jesus, my Divine Master, Who is Meek and Humble 
of Heart. To this, in fact, I have already bound my- 
self by my Vows; this is to be the exclusive aim of 
my remaining years, to imitate my God made Man for 
love of me. God made Man; what an unparalleled 
self-abasement, particularly as the nature He as- 
sumed was a fallen nature, the nature of degraded, 
sinful man. He became Man to serve man. He 
served His Parents as a Child; He served those who 
engaged His labors as a village carpenter ; He served 
in healing, in teaching, in correcting, in commanding. 
For we must not think that teaching, correcting, or 
commanding, is less of a service than other work done 
for our neighbor. No ; on the contrary, the higher we 
are placed the more it is our privilege to serve. 
Hence our Holy Father the Pope, in calling himself 
the Servant of the Servants of God, is merely stating 
something inseparable from his sublime office of Pas- 
tor of the Universal Church. But Jesus, our Lord, 
became Man to serve with such entire self-forgetful- 
ness, with such boundless devotion, that no slave ever 



THE MOTIVES OF HUMILITY 177 

rendered his master more perfect service. He truly 
made Himself the slave of all, though it was an in- 
finitely loving slavery. " For the Son of Man is not 
come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
His life for the redemption of many." This then is our 
Example, our Model. By nature we are the slaves of 
God, by sin we made ourselves the slaves of Satan, by 
grace we must become the most humble, most devoted 
slaves of every man with whom we come in contact. 
If engaged in mental occupations, we will study not 
for the pleasure we may get out of books, but to fit our- 
selves to be the slaves of our fellow men. If perform- 
ing household duties, we will do so not for temporal 
gain or from mere necessity, but because we desire 
nothing better than to be the slaves of our brethren. 
In fact, we will make it our constant practice to look 
upon all as our superiors, whom it is our glorious task 
to serve at the call of God and for the love of Jesus. 

But more than this, Christ our Lord became Man to 
be humbled for my sake and to suffer on my account ; 
and I in return ought to welcome contempt and hard- 
ship for love of Him, in order to become like to Him, 
my God. No higher nobility, no truer happiness can 
be conceived in this world than that which is found 
in being ignored and despised with Jesus, in bearing 
poverty and pain with Jesus, in being bound and 
buffeted with Jesus, in being trodden down and spit 
upon with Jesus, in being falsely accused and bar- 
barously mocked with Jesus, in being cruelly scourged 
and put to a most shameful death with Jesus, the 
Son of God. He Divinized revilings and sufferings, 
and those who accept them and seek them for His 
sake, are really pursuing the greatest good on earth 
as well as the loftiest glory in Heaven. Christ re- 
jected honors, riches, and pleasures; and we too 



178 FOURTH DAY 

should consider them of no account. For if these 
things were worth having, certainly the Eternal Wis- 
dom would have coveted them; but on the contrary 
He coveted contumely, destitution, and affliction. 

" Learn of Me for I am Meek and Humble of Heart." 
This, our Lord assures us, is the only way to find 
rest for our souls, that rest, that peace which sur- 
passes all understanding and in comparison with 
which even the noblest enjoyment in the natural order 
is but bitter desolation. Let us not think Humility 
hard to practise or difficult to acquire. " My yoke 
is sweet and my burden light," says the Infallible 
Truth. No; Pride is hard, sin is hard, inordination 
is hard, worldliness is hard; while Humility is the 
heavenly balm that sweetens and softens all the ills 
of this time of exile and temptation. And with the 
help of grace, which is ever offered us in profuse 
abundance, we now resolve to apply ourselves to this 
virtue unremittingly for the remainder of our lives. 



TWO STANDARDS 

Introductory Remarks. — All mankind may be said 
to follow either of two banners : " the one of Christ, 
our sovereign Leader and Lord ; the other of Lucifer, 
the mortal enemy of our human nature. " — " He that 
is not with Me, is against Me," says the Son of God, 
" and he that gathereth not with Me, scattereth." In 
this Exercise there is, of course, no question of choos- 
ing between these Two Standards. That we have 
done long ago and forever. But St. Ignatius proposes 
this Meditation that we may recognize more clearly 
the Irreconcilable Opposition between the two Leaders 
of this present world, that we may realize more in- 
timately the Terrible Dangers to which men are con- 
stantly exposed in this life, that we may understand 
more thoroughly the Solid Principles which should 
ever govern the work of our personal sanctification 
as well as our labors for the salvation of our neigh- 
bor, and that thus we may become more intelligent, 
more sincere, more ardent, more steadfast Followers 
and Apostles of Christ our Lord. Two Standards 
emphasizes the momentous truth, that unless we are 
wholly imbued with the teachings of our Divine Sav- 
ior, unless we strive to lead men, our pupils, our 
charges, or our penitents, in perfect accordance with 
the directions of our Heavenly King, we shall only 
be playing into the hands of Satan, our infernal 
enemy. Neither gold, nor might, nor learning, will 
convert or even in the least benefit a single soul. 



180 FOURTH DAY 

Subject of this Meditation. — " Christ calls and de- 
sires all under His banner, Lucifer on the contrary 
under his." God most sincerely wishes the salvation 
of all men, their temporal happiness and their eternal 
bliss, by the profession of faith and the practice of 
good works; while Satan and his demons strive to 
bring about men's temporal misery and everlasting 
ruin. 

Composition of Place.—" A vast plain in the region 
about Jerusalem where the Supreme Leader of all 
the good is Christ our Lord ; and another plain in the 
country of Babylon, where the chief of the enemy is 
Lucifer. 

Petition. — Knowledge of the deadly deceits of the 
wicked chieftain and help to guard against them; 
knowledge also of the life-giving truths which our 
Sovereign Leader points out and grace to follow Him. 

First Point. Persons. 

" Imagine/' says St. Ignatius, " the chieftain of all 
the enemy as seated in that great plain of Babylon 
on a lofty throne of fire and smoke, in aspect horrible 
and fearful." — " That great plain," indicates vast re- 
sources and momentous issues, — " Babylon," the cen- 
ter of disorder, — " a lofty throne," pride, — " fire," 
perpetual unrest, — " smoke," darkness, — " horrible," 
means loathsome in himself, " and fearful," breathing 
cruel hatred to others. 

On the other hand, " consider how Christ our Lord, 
in aspect fair and winning, takes His station, on a 
lowly spot, in a great plain of the country near Jerusa- 
lem." — " Our Lord," by birthright as God, by dona- 
tion as Man, — " fair and winning," ineffably Beau- 
tiful and infinitely Loving, — " takes His station," not 



TWO STANDARDS 181 

like a selfish tyrant but like a Devoted Captain, — 
" on a lowly spot," in true humility, — " in a great 
plain," the immense realm of grace, — " near Jerusa- 
lem," the city of harmony and peace. 

Second Point. Actions. 

" Consider how Satan summons together innumer- 
able devils, how he disperses them to different cities, 
throughout the whole world, not omitting a single 
province, locality, class, or person." — " Satan sum- 
mons," imperiously, — " disperses," violently, — " in- 
numerable devils," an almost countless host of fallen 
angels that slavishly obey through fear and hatred, 
— " not omitting a single person." Each man has a 
demon to tempt him, to lead him astray, to destroy 
him body and soul. How great is our danger! 
Every suggestion of self-complacency, of vanity, of 
pride, of envy, of resentment, of impatience, of sen- 
suality, is either prompted or fostered by that evil 
genius. How this fact should help to keep us humble. 
But unfortunately our heart may be so addicted to 
these vices, that we do not notice the continual work- 
ing of our infernal attendant. There is not enough 
habitual opposition between our own soul and that 
foul spirit. 

Again, " consider how the Lord of the whole world 
chooses out so many persons, — apostles, disciples, and 
so forth, — and sends them all over the earth to dif- 
fuse His sacred doctrine through every class and con- 
dition of men." — " The Lord chooses," by the grace of 
Vocation, — what an honor for such persons, since 
they are given the same office as the Holy Angels, 
— " and sends them," with all kindness. We too have 
been sent by Him, to this particular locality. By the 

the side of Satan and of 



182 FOURTH DAY 

" angels " on the side of Christ, St. Ignatius probably 
intended to emphasize the fact that ours is a spiritual 
combat, a warfare with the powers of darkness, as 
pointed out by the Apostle St. Paul. "For our 
wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against 
principalities and powers, against the rulers of the 
world of this darkness, against the spirits of wicked- 
ness in the high places." ( Eph. 6 :12. ) However, 
just as we should not ignore the fact that the Angels 
are sent by God to protect, assist, and save us ; so we 
must not overlook the other fact, that many men are 
aiding the Demons in their work of deception and 
enthralment; namely, all those whose lives are gov- 
erned by the love of riches, pleasures, and honors, in 
one word, the followers of the world. It is such 
people as these that manage our yellow dailies and 
spicy magazines, that write our salacious novels and 
immoral plays, that own our disreputable dance-halls 
and infamous pleasure-resorts, that support our ir- 
religious schools as well as our temples of error, super- 
stition, and atheism. 

Third Point. Tactics and Aims. 

" Consider the address which Satan makes, and 
how he commands them to lay snares and chains ; tell- 
ing them how they are first to tempt men to covet 
Riches, — as he is wont to do in most cases, — that 
thus they may more easily come to the vain Honor 
of the world, and then to unbounded Pride; so that 
the first step is riches, the second honor, the third 
pride ; and from these three steps he leads them to all 
other vices." This behest of Satan not only displays 
his despotic character but also reveals his deep cun- 
ning and deceitful malice. His plan is to work 
first on our inborn leaning towards the objects 



TWO STANDARDS 183 

which minister to our earthly existence, under pretext 
that these things are indifferent, or rather that they 
are good; — for, in the words of Holy Scripture, 
" God saw all He had made, and it was very good " — 
that accordingly they may contribute to our happi- 
ness ; and hence that there is no reason why we could 
not make a right use of them. What renders men 
particularly liable to deception in this matter is to 
fancy that they have no inclination towards wealth 
and distinction. True, as long as these things seem 
entirely beyond our reach, we may experience no 
positive desire for them; but how differently we 
begin to feel about them the moment we perceive 
a favorable occasion to indulge our natural craving. 
Besides, have we no repugnance for poverty and con- 
tempt? Of course, we all have. Then we also love 
riches and honors in exactly the same degree. This 
is our weak spot, and Satan takes care to attack it 
from every side. Just as he strives to make us desire 
the goods and honors of the world on the false as- 
sumption that they are indispensable for our happi- 
ness, our health, or our usefulness; so he strives to 
make us dread poverty and contempt, mortification 
and humiliation, by picturing these to us as incom- 
patible with our happiness, our health, or our use- 
fulness. But let us not be alarmed by these bugaboos. 
The Saints were not only the happiest but also the 
most efficient men that ever existed, and on the whole 
they lived longer than tepid Religious and sinful 
Worldlings. All tenderness and heroism, it has well 
been said, goes with poverty and privation, not with 
wealth and comfort. Again, while Satan promises 
peace and happiness which he cannot give and indeed 
would not give even if he could, he intends only to 
render us miserable here and hereafter; and how 



184 FOURTH DAY 

well lie succeeds we know by our own experience and 
by what we see daily going on in the world. 

The Snares of Satan, consequently, are the posses- 
sion, the use, or the desire of things pleasant, whether 
superfluous or necessary, but indulged in without re- 
gard to the Will of God, simply in compliance with 
our natural inclinations, and hence inordinately ; like- 
wise the removal, the avoidance, or the fear of things 
unpleasant, without regard to the Will of God, simply 
in compliance with our natural aversions. In other 
words, every Inordination is a Snare of Satan. 

This is no doubt an important discovery ; but what 
is far more important for us is not to allow ourselves 
to be caught by our crafty foes. A few additional 
reflections may help us to be ever on our guard. 
We certainly need health and strength, rest and 
recreation, food and drink, lodging, conveniences, and 
clothing, learning and books, personal appearance 
and social influence. We are already inclined, 
through the corruption of our nature, to esteem and 
seek these things independently of the Adorable Will 
of God, as it is manifested to us by Commandments, 
Counsels, Rules, Superiors, Inspirations. Now Satan, 
through the suggestions of his demons and the seduc- 
tions of his followers, is ever urging us on in the 
same direction under plea that these things are all 
good. Hence, we are constantly in danger of at- 
taching ourselves to the various objects that may sup- 
ply our needs, and of satisfying these needs more 
abundantly than is consistent with the Divine Will 
or conducive to our sanctification. The essen- 
tial question for us is not whether these things are 
good in a general sense, but whether they are good 
in our particular circumstances, whether they help 
us here and now to Sanctify and Save our soul, by 



TWO STANDARDS 185 

Praising, Revering, and Serving God. For instance, 
we need sufficient clothing and footwear; but it is 
neither necessary nor expedient that it should be as 
fashionable and elegant as possible, or that our supply 
should be so abundant as to obviate any further re- 
course to Superiors for the next two or three years. 
On the contrary, we should wish and strive to have 
at any time as scanty and poor a supply as our Supe- 
rior will permit and sanction. We may need certain 
little articles ; for instance, stationery, soap, a match- 
box, a pocket-knife, a watch, cuff-buttons, a note- 
book, a pair of scissors ; but anything beyond what is 
cheap and useful is out of keeping with our Religious 
Profession, a hindrance to our efficiency, and an ob- 
stacle to our sanctification. We need rest and rec- 
reation, food and drink; but no more and no better 
than is required to do our work, to perform our 
duties, to accomplish the Will of God. Perhaps we 
need learning and books ; but this does not mean that, 
even with permission, we can freely indulge in the 
reading of newspapers and novels, or turn our room 
into a private annex to the library. All this is as 
plain as daylight; yet our inordinate tendencies are 
so strong and our enemies so persistent that we have 
to exercise constant vigilance in order not to be led 
astray. It is not without good reason, then, that the 
Church exhorts us to pray daily : " Holy Michael, be 
our Safeguard against the Wickedness and Snares of 
the Devil." 

Finally St. Ignatius bids us " consider the address 
which Christ our Lord makes to all His servants and 
friends, whom He sends on this expedition, recom- 
mending to them that they desire to help all, by guid- 
ing them first to the highest degree of Poverty of 
Spirit, and even to Actual Poverty, if it pleases His 



186 FOURTH DAY 

Divine Majesty and He should deign to elect them to 
it; leading them, secondly, to a desire of Keproaches 
and Contempt, because from these two Humility re- 
sults, so that there are three steps ; the first, poverty, 
opposed to riches; the second, reproaches and con- 
tempt, opposed to worldly honor ; the third, humility, 
opposed to pride ; and from these three steps let them 
conduct men to all other virtues." These concise di- 
rections serve to put before us the Doctrine of our 
Adorable Savior, as recorded in the Gospels, about 
the value and use of the perishable goods of this 
world. Nature, corrupted and blinded by sin, takes an 
altogether different view. Just as we look almost in- 
stinctively for wealth and honor because of the gratifi- 
cation or exaltation they afford to the body and the 
mind, so we quite spontaneously shrink from poverty 
and contempt on account of the affliction or humilia- 
tion they entail for the body and the mind. How 
different, by the way, the tone of our Lord's address 
is from that of Satan's. " His servants and friends," 
by nature we are His unworthy servants, but by grace 
we have become His friends, the friends of Jesus, the 
Son of God. " Recommending to them," what conde- 
scension ! — " that they desire," how this also reflects 
the Gentleness of the Sacred Heart ! — " to help all," 
this Religious do by their very Profession, their sim- 
plicity of dress, their austere mode of life, and they 
may do so, besides, very efficaciously by conversation 
or letter-writing, provided always their personal con- 
duct be in close conformity with these fundamental 
principles laid down by our Divine Lord. 

The True Life is here pointed out by Christ; for 
while yielding to our inordinate tendencies, our un- 
ruly passions, in conformity with the Deceits of Satan 
our Enemy, means Slavery and Death ; resisting them 



TWO STANDARDS 187 

in obedience to the Truth of Christ, our King, em- 
bodied in both His Doctrine and His Example, means 
Liberty and Life. Satan makes a perfidious alliance 
with our corrupt inclinations in order to ensnare and 
destroy us; but Christ teaches us how to check and 
overcome them, because He longs to bestow on us real 
happiness and everlasting bliss. Our Lord's first 
object, then, is to lead men to the highest degree of 
Spiritual Poverty; but gradually, of course, since 
there is question of the formation of good habits. 
The lowest degree of Spiritual Poverty is necessary 
for salvation, and consists in being so far detached 
from earthly goods, as for their sake or on account of 
their loss not to commit a Mortal Sin. Also this 
lowest degree includes a conditional acceptance of 
Actual Poverty, inasmuch as God might ordain cir- 
cumstances in which Actual Poverty would be the 
only alternative. A very high degree of Poverty of 
Spirit would consist in being so completely detached 
from everything earthly, as not even for the sake of 
all the goods of this world, nor to avoid the utter 
spoliation of even the most indispensable things, to 
commit an Inordination. There are corresponding 
degrees in the love of contempt, which might not im- 
properly be called " Obscurity of Spirit." Since 
practically there will always be room for advance- 
ment, the constant aim of our prayers and our efforts 
should be the very Highest Degree of Detachment 
from the Riches and Honors of this World. But 
we shall never make any progress until we are 
thoroughly convinced that on the one hand every 
Inordination, and all the more every Sin, being 
nothing but a concession to our morbid craving for 
earthly Goods and Distinctions, fosters and confirms 
the old habit of Pride ; while on the other hand every 



188 FOURTH DAY 

act of Self-Denial and Self-Conquest, every accept- 
ance of Suffering and Insult, develops and strengthens 
in our soul the supernatural habit of Humility. 

These simple considerations should fill me with 
intense gratitude for having been chosen by our Lord 
to diffuse His Sacred Doctrine amongst my fellow 
men, and for having been admitted by Him to a State 
in which I am greatly protected from the Snares of 
Satan, in consequence of the Vows of Poverty, Chas- 
tity, and Obedience. How difficult it must be for a 
millionaire to have even the lowest degree of Poverty 
of Spirit ! Hence our Lord says that it is easier for 
a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a 
rich man to enter Heaven. Again, these same truths 
should cover me with genuine confusion, seeing how 
poorly I have corresponded till now to the grace of 
Vocation for my own progress in Perfection, and how 
little I have accomplished as yet for the Salvation 
of my neighbor, because, instead of leading him to the 
love of Poverty and Contempt, I have fostered his 
natural craving for ease and show, for comfort and 
applause. 

But besides gathering from this Meditation lively 
sentiments of gratitude and confusion, we should ex- 
ert ourselves to reap in rich measure its precious and 
manifold Fruit, First, Two Standards should not 
only animate us with a real Dislike and Fear of Riches 
and Honors, of pleasures and comforts, of distinction 
and independence, of anything that may feed our 
self-love and self-conceit, as the instruments abused 
and disgraced by Satan to deceive and destroy us ; but 
also inspire us with a sincere Esteem and Desire of 
Poverty and Contempt, of suffering and discomfort, of 
slights and dependence, of anything that calls for 
self-denial and self-humiliation, as the instruments 



TWO STANDARDS 189 

used and ennobled by Christ our Lord to sanctify 
and save us. Secondly, Two Standards should com- 
municate to us a certain Moderation and Circum- 
spection in the use of those goods of this world which 
we need to sustain our life or to keep up our name; 
together with a decided Preference and Eagerness 
for opportunities of privation and suffering, obscurity 
and humiliation. Thirdly, Two Standards should 
cause us to pray earnestly and continually for these 
opportunities, every such petition being one of the 
many acts of this kind which we shall have to make 
in order gradually to acquire an actual leaning to- 
wards Poverty and Contempt. Fourthly, Two Stand- 
ards should make us pass on from unremitting and 
fervent Prayer to what most effectually fosters the 
formation of the habit of Humility, namely, daily and 
persevering Practice. 

These several applications are after all but the 
logical development of what we learned already in the 
First Week. For even in The Foundation we under- 
stood the absolute necessity of counterbalancing our 
unruly passions by contrary habits, to be formed and 
confirmed by a lifelong succession of acts. Here, in 
Two Standards, the injunctions and machinations 
of Satan as well as the directions and tactics of our 
Divine Lord furnish us with additional and powerful 
motives for undertaking this momentous task. From 
the present Meditation we carry away the solid con- 
viction that, while to serve God and to save our soul 
is practically impossible unless we offset our inor- 
dinate tendencies towards Riches and Honors by op- 
posite inclinations towards Poverty and Contempt, 
this can be accomplished only by frequent acts of 
mortification and humiliation performed under the 
influence of Heavenly Grace, in obedience to our Ador- 



190 FOURTH DAY 

able Master, out of reverence for His Infallible Au- 
thority, and — as we shall consider more fully later 
on — in imitation of His most Admirable Example. 
It is evident that the stronger these supernatural 
inclinations grow in our heart, the safer we shall 
be against the Snares of the Devil, and that their 
strength will depend on the number and energy of 
the corresponding acts. 

Though we can never be perfectly safe whilst we 
are in this life, it is only in so far as we have formed 
these inclinations calculated to weaken, restrain, and 
neutralize our innate tendencies towards Riches 
and Honors — which give support and furnish fuel 
to our Pride — that we shall possess the habit of 
Humility. Since this virtue prompts us to acknowl- 
edge our own vileness and our complete dependence 
on God, it also renders us submissive and conform- 
able to His Holy Will, wherever and in whatever way 
manifested, and thus implies all other forms of moral 
rectitude. Consequently, those who have acquired 
the Virtue of Humility can easily be led to the explicit 
exercise of every other Virtue. On the contrary, the 
unbridled desire for Riches, the unmortified love of 
Honors, and especially the consummate vice of Pride, 
the three concupiscences, will lead a man readily into 
every kind of Sin. 

In conclusion, our Adorable Master has now pointed 
out to us the only Practical Program for attaining 
the End of our Existence and for promoting the Ex- 
tension of His Kingdom. Its items are few and clear : 
we are to esteem, desire, implore, seek, embrace, and 
bear Poverty and Contempt. Relying, therefore, on 
the help of grace, merited for us by our Blessed Savior 
and promised to us by our Heavenly Father, let us 
resolve to conform our entire conduct, even in its 



TWO STANDAKDS 191 

smallest details, to this Divine Program. The sooner 
we carry out this transformation, the more we shall 
advance in true humility and real happiness, and the 
better we shall succeed in bringing other men to the 
knowledge of Christ and the enjoyment of Heaven. 

Triple Colloquy. — I will pray first to our Lady that 
she may solicit for me these graces from her Son 
and Lord, concluding with the Hail Mary; then to 
our Savior that He may obtain for me these same 
graces from the Father, finishing with the Anima 
Christi ; and lastly to the Father that He may grant 
me these graces, saying at the end the Our Father. 
I will give fervent thanks for having been received 
under the Standard of Christ our Lord ; acknowledge 
with deep shame and great sorrow that I have so often 
proved a useless servant, perhaps even a perfidious 
traitor ; and beg for perfect detachment from worldly 
goods and honors by being frequently made to suffer 
privation and pain, slights and disappointments, 
criticism, derision, and insult. 



A. M. D. G. 

"MY CHILD, GIVE ME THY HEART." 

FIFTH DAY 

special patron : St. Francis Xavier. 

motto : " He that is not with Me, is against Me." — 
Luke 11 :23. 

spirit: Abhorrence of the goods of this world, 
Comforts and Distinctions. 

reading: Imitation; Bk. I, C. 9, 25. 

Bk. Ill, C. 11, 13, 15, 17, 26, 
34, 54, 55. 

Rules and Customs. 

Examine carefully in what particulars you have 
failed to observe the Rules, the Customs, the Orders 
of your Superiors, the Duties of your Office, and the 
Inspirations of Divine Grace. Take such practical 
Resolutions as will insure your thorough amendment 
of past faults, and such others as the Holy Ghost 
will suggest to you for your future progress towards 
complete self-denial and self-abjection. 



THE THREE CLASSES OF MEN 

Introductory Remarks. — Already in the First 
Week of these Spiritual Exercises, we should have 
conceived a thorough and, as it were, instinctive ab- 
horrence of all inordinate actions and of their source, 
our inordinate affections. In the Second Week, we 
should get more and more convinced of the impos- 
sibility of our affections being other than inordinate 
as long as we of our own free will retain or use the 
objects on which they feed, the goods of this world. 
For, on the one hand, we have a very strong leaning 
to enjoy these goods for our own selfish gratification 
and, on the other hand, the Devil is ever cunningly 
urging us to seek, use, and acquire them, without re- 
gard to the Divine Will. Hence, if we are really anx- 
ious to serve God, to reach holiness, and to save our 
souls, we must be determined to flee from these goods 
as far as we can consistently with the claims of obe- 
dience and charity. This desire of self-spoliation, 
this dread of worldly goods, not only of their posses- 
sion but also of their use, will be the more real and 
efficacious, the more intimate and vivid our apprecia- 
tion is of the danger and deformity of inordination. 
In this respect, men may be divided into Three Classes, 
on which St. Ignatius directs us to meditate at this 
stage of our work, in order " to embrace that which 
is best." We will center our attention on three per- 
sons selected so as to be fairly representative of these 
Three Classes. 

Subject of this Meditation. — Three individuals 



194 FIFTH DAY 

have each acquired a large sum of money, say a mil- 
lion dollars, but inordinately, that is, not purely for 
the love of God. They all find, of course, in their af- 
fection to this money a hindrance to their actual peace 
and their eternal salvation, and they should like to 
rid themselves of this difficulty. 

Composition of Place. — "To see myself standing 
before God our Lord and all His Saints, that I may 
desire and know what is more pleasing to His Divine 
Goodness." — Why standing, one might ask, and not 
prostrate? To remind me that I should always keep 
ready to carry out the Holy Will of God. 

Petition. — " To choose that which is most for the 
glory of the Divine Majesty and for the good of my 
soul." — No one can fail to notice the close similarity 
between the grace asked for in this Petition and the 
disposition pointed out by St. Ignatius in the con- 
cluding words of The Foundation : " Desiring and 
Choosing only those things which are most Conducive 
to the End for which we were created." 

First Point. The First Individual would like to 
shake off the affection he has for the money, so as to 
find in peace God our Lord, and so as to know how 
to save his soul ; but he Takes No Means even up to 
the hour of death. 

This person, then, does nothing, makes absolutely 
no effort, but puts off his amendment, his conversion, 
indefinitely. What folly, what slavery, and what risk ! 
Folly, because these worldly goods cannot satisfy our 
heart and will abandon us anyhow sooner or later. 
Slavery, because they tie us down to this earth and 
fill us with anxiety. Risk, because they are recom- 
mended by Satan and repudiated by Christ. If my 



THE THREE CLASSES OF MEN 195 

case be that of this First Individual, I must remember 
that not to advance, not to wish to advance, means to 
go back, and that my unmortified attachments will 
surely lead me into sin. But no, I must not put off 
my amendment, my conversion, any longer. I must 
take action, I must earnestly pray for help; I must 
put in practice the teaching of Christ, my Savior; I 
must apply myself to mortification and humility. 

Second Point. The Second Individual also desires 
to shake off the affection for the money ; but he wishes 
to do so in such a way as to retain its possession, and 
he Does Not Resolve, even if this should be belter, 
to Leave the Money in order to Go to God. 

This person has only a velleity, but no energetic 
wish to set himself right. He would like to practise 
Spiritual Poverty without having a conditional de- 
sire of Actual Poverty. But this is a gross illusion 
and a palpable contradiction. He wants to remain 
in the Snare of Satan but without feeling its incon- 
venience and danger. He would wish to get matters 
arranged according to his own whims and would like 
God to connive at his inordinate attachment. This 
person, evidently, is not determined to make the great- 
est possible progress, which we saw was the one Indis- 
pensable Disposition for entering on the Retreat ; he 
has utterly failed to realize the Wonderful Predilec- 
tion of our Divine Savior in his regard, to which alone 
he owes his preservation from eternal perdition ; he has 
not conceived any real abhorrence of Sin and Inor- 
dination ; he has not ratified the Unreserved Offering 
of himself in The Kingdom of Christ ; and as a willing 
captive he is already passing over to the Standard of 
Lucifer. 

Third Point. The Third Individual also wishes to 



196 FIFTH DAY 

shake off the affection, but without any desire either 
to retain or not to retain the money. He does not 
even intend to wish for it except in so far as it shall 
seem better for the praise and service of the Divine 
Majesty. The Greater Glory of God our Lord is the 
only thing that will move him either to take or to 
leave the money, but meanwhile he wants to consider 
that he Has actually Left it All. 

This person is really in earnest. Being as yet ig- 
norant whether or not he will be called upon to re- 
nounce the money, he strives to make himself per- 
fectly Indifferent in its regard. Thus he corrects as 
far as he can the inordination committed in acquiring 
this fortune, and may confidently expect that God 
will cure him of his attachment. Once the cause 
has been removed, the rest is sure to follow with the 
help of grace. 

In this Meditation, then, I am forcibly reminded 
that I must do something, that I cannot remain satis- 
fied with inefficient half -measures, but should resolve 
to take the most direct and practical means to over- 
come my difficulties and to advance in the love of 
Poverty and Contempt. Those who are already lead- 
ing the Life of the Counsels ought to make the ap- 
plication to all attachments not wholly based on God 
as well as to all repugnances not purely inspired by 
God; for instance, regarding a certain employment, 
in a certain House, with certain companions, under 
a certain Superior; or touching certain recreations, 
comforts, studies, pursuits, regulations, customs. 

In such cases, a Keligious of the First Class will 
say : " Oh ! God has placed this book at my disposal " 
— or "given me this opportunity of recreation 
through my Superiors " — " and why should I bother 
my head about the matter? ' Never ask for any- 



THE THREE CLASSES OF MEN 197 

thing, and never refuse anything.' I guess as long 
as I don't commit a sin it will be all right." Indolent 
and lukewarm, he is satisfied to remain caught in the 
Snares of Satan, nor will it be long before he wears 
the Devil's Chains. 

A Religious of the Second Class will argue thus 
with himself : " Well, I am ready to give up this thing, 
whenever God, through His Providence or through 
my Superior, should desire to take it away. But 
meanwhile, I will strive to use it only with a pure 
intention for His Service and Glory." This, however, 
he cannot do, because he neglects to take the obvious 
and only means. He may perhaps fancy that he is 
indifferent, but his readiness is nugatory and he is 
deluding himself with a false security, while in reality 
he is deceived and entrapped by Satan. 

A Religious of the Third Class, if he can rid himself 
at once of the object, as a book for instance, will 
do so right away. If there is question of something 
more important that cannot be given up so promptly, 
an office, let us say, he will at least beseech our Lord 
most earnestly to take it from him, unless its reten- 
tion should be for His Better Service and His Greater 
Glory. But if his attachment is very strong, he will 
without delay write or speak to his Superior beg- 
ging him, if it can possibly be granted, for the very op- 
posite of what he would naturally wish to have. Only 
such a one is actually faithful to his Vocation and 
really striving after Perfection. 

A great truth to be kept in mind is, that God is not 
going to help us — and hence that it is no use to pray 
for such help — unless we first avail ourselves of the 
means which He has already placed within our reach. 
So in striving to get rid of an attachment, our prayer 
to that effect should be earnest and is indispensable, 



198 FIFTH DAY 

but it will remain fruitless if we neglect to give up, 
as far as circumstances will permit, the object to 
which we are unduly attached. We should either 
surrender it at once, or ask our Superior to take it 
away if he sees good, or at least implore our Lord to 
deprive us of it if not detrimental to His glory. 

A few additional illustrations may serve to render 
this matter still clearer. Three Keligious, for some 
reason or other, took a dislike to a certain charge 
with which they had been entrusted. They thought 
it proper to expose their difficulties to the Superior, 
but he only listened to them kindly without taking 
any action or even making any promises. The First 
still continues to feel discontented and discouraged. 
The Second says now and then a half-hearted prayer 
for resignation, and is meanwhile casting about for an 
opportunity to bring up the matter once more before 
his Superior. The Third offered himself at once to be 
kept in the same office as long as it might please his 
Superior, and then went to implore the help of grace 
till he had completely vanquished his dislike. 

Three Keligious Teachers are overfond of attend- 
ing the scholastic games. During the Retreat they 
become aware of their trouble. Says the First: 
" Yes, I have been a trifle inordinate in this matter. 
But what can I do? A man needs a little recreation 
at least once or twice a week. But, of course, I will 
only go when I can do so without neglecting any of 
my duties." Says the Second : " Surely, I have be- 
come somewhat attached to these games. But in fu- 
ture I will go only when there is a general permission. 
Besides, I will first make a visit to the Blessed Sac- 
rament, and ask our Lord for the grace of going solely 
in order to please Him and of doing all the good I can 
by my conversation and behavior." Says the Third : 



THE THREE CLASSES OF MEN 199 

" I will not go any more ; no, not even when I am al- 
lowed, but only when I am positively sent by my Supe- 
rior. But I will take the first suitable occasion to 
tell him about my overfondness for those games. In 
fact, I am determined to do everything in my power 
to prevent myself from going again, except my con- 
science tells me that it is for the Better Service of 
God. However, even in that case, I will pray ear- 
nestly for the Divine Help and mortify my fondness 
as much as possible." 

Three Religious, let us suppose, to whom the use of 
tobacco has been recommended by the physician and 
who have received the requisite permission of Supe- 
riors, are gradually becoming a little addicted to 
smoking. Each of them happens to get a box of 
Havanas from a friend or relative, and without con- 
sulting the Will of God obtains leave to keep the 
cigars for his own use. Shortly afterwards they make 
their annual Retreat and wish to sanctify themselves. 
They find the cigars to be a hindrance to their proj- 
ect inasmuch as they are unduly attached to them. 
They also become aware that this attachment has 
made them commit several faults for which as yet 
they have felt no sincere sorrow. One of the First 
Class simply does nothing. One of the Second Class 
resolves to make a good intention before smoking. 
One of the Third Class takes the box without delay 
to the Superior. 

In this Meditation, therefore, I should diligently ex- 
amine whether I do not belong to the First or the Sec- 
ond Class, by only pretending or fancying that I wish 
to advance in the Love of Christ and in Holiness of 
Life without taking the indispensable measures, mor- 
tification, humiliation, self-conquest; or by putting 
conditions to the Grace of God with regard to my 



200 FIFTH DAY 

cooperation, saying as it were to Him, "Lord, I 
am ready for this, but not for that; I will go so far, 
but no further ; " or by deceiving myself, praying per- 
haps oftentimes a day for opportunities of suffering, 
and meanwhile neglecting to embrace the occasions 
actually present or to use the means I have in my 
hand. I should earnestly ask myself : " What is 
there that keeps me back? Is it any creature outside 
myself to which I am unduly attached or for which 
I foster an inordinate repugnance? Or is it some 
unruly tendency within my own soul; a preference 
of my will and judgment; a clinging to my whims 
and fancies ; a dislike to open my heart to those given 
me by God for my guidance; a lurking resentment 
at perhaps not having been treated fairly ; a distaste 
for total dependence on Superiors in asking permis- 
sions, in stating expenses, and so forth; a shirking 
of the constant labor and watchfulness required for 
sanctification ; or a dread of this very thing I am con- 
sidering, this absolute self -spoliation and perpetual 
self -conquest? " 

How is it, we may often have asked ourselves, that 
some Eeligious make very good Resolutions and yet 
fail to advance in Perfection? The present Medita- 
tion supplies the answer. It is either because they 
do not sincerely intend to carry out their Resolutions, 
as is evident from the fact that they never take any 
means to do so — and these belong to the First Class 

— or because, in forming their Resolutions, they deal 
only with secondary difficulties and superficial trifles, 
not with their real obstacles and fundamental needs, 

— and these belong to the Second Class. Again, 
some one might put himself this query : " But per- 
sons that seek everywhere their greater humiliation 
and continual mortification, are they not inclined to 



THE THREE CLASSES OF MEN 201 

be towards others somewhat stern, harsh, severe, un- 
sympathetic, uncharitable?" On the contrary, the 
only obstacle to true, gentle, tender, and self- 
sacrificing charity, is inordinate attachment to self. 
We shall be charitable only in proportion as we be- 
come unselfish, self-forgetful, and self-denying. Re- 
ligious that are content to stay in the First or the 
Second Class will never learn to practise charity. 

" The same three Colloquies as were made in the 
preceding contemplation of Two Standards." To 
this direction St. Ignatius adds a very important 
note, in which he lays down a principle that is of 
almost constant application in the Spiritual Life. 
" It will greatly help us," he says, " towards the up- 
rooting of any inordinate affection or repugnance 
we may feel, to beg and beseech our Lord that He 
may take away the object to which we are attached 
or to send us the very thing to which we are averse, 
provided only it be for the service and praise of His 
Divine Majesty." Since we have all a great and last- 
ing antipathy to poverty, suffering, and contempt, it 
is evident from this principle of St. Ignatius that, if 
we really wish to see Grace triumph in our heart over 
Nature, we should make it our habitual practice to 
pray fervently for opportunities of bearing these af- 
flictions. But what concerns us more especially just 
now is to know how we are to apply the Saint's advice 
at the conclusion of the present Meditation. By this 
time we are supposed to have discovered to what 
objects during the past year we felt an attraction 
which we did not resist and to what other creatures 
we experienced an aversion which we did not over- 
come ; or again, what particular charge we should be 
delighted to get for the coming year and what other 



202 FIFTH DAY 

status we would receive with misgiving and disgust. 
Now, if we have at all profited by the consideration 
of The Three Classes of Men, we should forthwith 
take up the work of our thorough reformation on all 
these points. In those things which depend on our 
own initiative, we should with the help of Grace 
proceed to act at once in a manner diametrically op- 
posed to our unmortified passions; while in those 
matters over which we can exercise no control, we 
should with great earnestness beseech and conjure 
in succession the Immaculate Virgin, our Blessed 
Lord, and our Heavenly Father, to dispose them in 
a way directly contrary to our natural tendencies, 
always understood, of course, in so far as this will 
not be detrimental to the Divine Glory. 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT 

Subject of this Meditation. — After Christ our 
Lord had received the baptism of penance, He went 
to the desert, where He fasted forty days and forty 
nights. Then He was thrice tempted by Satan, who 
said to Him : " If Thou be the Son of God, command 
that these stones be made bread ; " and again : " If 
Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down, for it is 
written that He hath given His angels charge over 
Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest 
perhaps Thou dash Thy foot against a stone ; " and 
lastly: "All these I will give Thee, if falling down 
Thou wilt adore me." Then the Devil having left 
Him, Angels came and ministered to Him. — Matt. 
4 :1-11. 

Composition of Place. — Mount Quarantana, or 
some other lonely and barren mountain in the desert 
between Jericho and Ephraim ; and about fifteen miles 
to the west, Jerusalem with the Temple, which in 
spite of the distance we can distinguish by its gilded 
roof and snow-white pinnacles. 

Petition. — A more intimate knowledge of Christ 
our Lord, Who permitted the temptations of Satan 
for my sake, — for my instruction by His conduct, 
and for my benefit by His victory, — that I may love 
Him henceforth more generously and follow Him 
more closely. 

First Point. The First Temptation. 

Our Divine Lord, to prepare Himself for His pub- 



204 FIFTH DAY 

lie ministry, had withdrawn, under the impulse of 
the Holy Spirit, to a wild mountain region, and there 
spent forty days in prayer and fasting. Penance and 
Prayer, these are the two principal weapons, especially 
of those who are called to the duties of an apostle, 
but in general of all those who desire to labor for the 
salvation and sanctification of their neighbor, in 
union with Jesus, the Son of God. I can see my 
Adorable Savior there on the bleak and weird moun- 
tain, prostrate in a cave on the hard ground, implor- 
ing His Heavenly Father to bless His great Work, 
the Conquest of souls, the Conversion of sinners, 
the Kedemption of the whole race of Adam; and 
through the very intensity of His supplications omit- 
ting for forty successive days to attend to the ever- 
increasing exhaustion of His Sacred Body. It is 
worthy of remark, that in like manner many Saints, 
docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, forgot 
to take their meals for one or more days, through the 
fervor of their meditation. Accordingly, this pro- 
longed fast, this severe mortification and profound 
humiliation, was undergone by my Lord and Master, 
not only to atone for my acts of self-indulgence in 
eating and drinking, but also to teach me how I ought 
to join earnest occupation about my eternal interests 
to moderate disregard for my bodily comforts. An 
easy or lounging posture in performing my Spiritual 
Duties is surely not conducive to humility and de- 
votion. Union with God demands detachment from 
creatures and implies power over self. 

But there is a limit to even the most heroic absti- 
nence. "When He had fasted forty days, He was 
hungry ; " that is, He allowed His Blissful Soul, no 
longer wholly wrapt in prayer though always inti- 
mately united to God, to realize more keenly the pangs 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT 205 

of natural hunger. Satan had evidently been watch- 
ing his opportunity, and now judged that at last it 
had come. He considered that our Lord must be 
weakened by the long fast and wearied by the com- 
plete solitude. Let us remember that our Infernal 
Foe is always going about seeking to profit by every 
occasion, in order to bring our souls to destruction, 
and that we must not wonder if, even immediately 
after a more than usually devout Meditation or fer- 
vent Communion or successful Retreat, we find our- 
selves beset with violent Temptations. This earthly 
life is a perpetual conflict with our own Passions and 
with our spiritual Enemies. We can never afford to 
be off our guard even for one moment. The Tempter, 
then, approached our Divine Master with affected 
compassion, and pointing to the stones scattered on 
the ground, " If Thou art the Son of God," he said, 
" command that these stones become bread." 

We may note that his lofty intellect is so darkened 
by Pride as still to make him doubt the Divinity of 
Christ. His words, though apparently a well-meaning 
suggestion, are in reality nothing but a subtle appeal 
to that reliance on earthly goods, which we have al- 
ready considered in the meditation on Two Stand- 
ards. " You have been fasting, my friend, it is proper 
that you should take some nourishment, you have a 
right to it, or rather it is your duty, in fact, unless 
you do so, you will not be able to accomplish the 
mission for which you are preparing." Is it not thus 
more or less that the Devil at times tempts also Relig- 
ious? What he proposes at first is not a sin, but 
only an inordination, just a slight indulgence, a little 
relaxation, taken without regard to the Will of God, 
as manifested by our Rules, our Resolutions, our 
Superiors. It sounds so plausible, it seems so inno- 



206 FIFTH DAY 

cent, but in reality it is nothing but a piece of cun- 
ning deceit. This First Temptation, then, is one to 
Sensuality and to Distrust. 

How does our Lord meet the tempter? With 
humble submission to the truth of the Sacred Scrip- 
tures, that is, to the Guidance of the Holy Ghost, and 
with boundless confidence in the Providence of the 
Eternal Father. " It is written," He answered, " man 
liveth not by bread alone but by every word that 
cometh from the mouth of God." (Deut, 8 :3. ) It is 
well worth our while to consider this answer, in order 
to understand and practise the great principle in- 
volved. There are two kinds of life ; the one, natural, 
physical, inferior, which is sustained by earthly food ; 
the other supernatural, spiritual, superior, which in 
the accomplishment of the Divine Will is sustained 
by Heavenly Grace; and this higher life we have to 
foster, if necessary, even at the expense of the lower. 
" Man liveth not by bread alone." In how many cir- 
cumstances I could apply this truth : in weariness, hun- 
ger, privation, sickness ! These and similar hardships 
may afflict my lower life, but at the same time are cer- 
tain to benefit my higher life, because they are or- 
dained for that purpose by the Adorable Will of God. 
Again, stones are not intended to be turned into food. 
To wish to anticipate the time and manner and means 
by which the Lord intends to come to our assistance 
by an act of His Almighty Will, shows disbelief in 
His Infinite Power and distrust in His All-Loving 
Providence. It is precisely under the most trying 
circumstances that we should practise the most child- 
like abandonment. As the Most High daily provided 
the Israelites in the desert with manna, so He can sup- 
ply our need, if He pleases, even by a miracle. But 
Jesus had come to be like one of us, and He did not 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT 207 

wish to exert His Divine Omnipotence in order to re- 
lieve His bodily exhaustion. 

Second Point. The Second Temptation. 

" Then the Devil took Him up into the holy City 
and set Him upon the pinnacle of the Temple, and 
said to Him [with feigned veneration], ' If Thou 
be the Son of God, cast Thyself down, for it is written, 
that He has given His angels charge over Thee, and 
in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest perhaps 
Thou dash Thy foot against a stone/ " Christ, the 
King of Glory, permits Himself to be transported by 
Satan, the Prince of Darkness. What a humiliation 
voluntarily submitted to for my sake ! I must, then, 
not become alarmed and disheartened if the tempta- 
tion grows more and more violent, even if my body, 
my imagination, my very senses, should seem to be 
under the power of the evil spirits. For, as long as 
my will remains united to God in humble prayer, I 
have nothing to fear from all the assults of the enemy. 
It is worth observing that the Devil in quoting the 
ninetieth psalm omits a very important clause, 
namely, " to keep Thee in all Thy ways," which limits 
the application to any person that is acting in obedi- 
ence to Providence and not going outside his ap- 
pointed sphere. Cunning and deceit form the charac- 
teristic traits of the fallen angels. 

This Second Temptation is one to Presumption and 
Vanity. " Cast yourself down from this lofty pin- 
nacle; you will not receive any hurt since God has 
promised you His special protection; and the multi- 
tudes gathered down below in the courts of the Temple 
will instantly recognize you as the Messias." It is a 
common maneuver of Satan, when he is foiled in some 
temptation, to change suddenly to the contrary one. 



208 FIFTH DAY 

So here, after first endeavoring to provoke distrust, he 
now strives to instil presumption. But his other aim 
is to induce our Lord to an act of vanity, to a display 
of power that would attract public applause. Love of 
the empty honors of the world, according to the usual 
tactics of Satan, follows after love of the perishable 
goods of the earth, as St. Ignatius points out in the 
meditation on Two Standards, and as any one can 
verify by observing what continually engrosses the 
hearts and minds of men. Even Keligious may ex- 
perience this temptation, especially under the form of 
human respect. " Do not run away from these vis- 
itors at the first sound of the bell," the Tempter will 
whisper, " they won't know what to make of you." Or 
again : " Do not break off this recreation so suddenly, 
be a little more condescending, make yourself so- 
ciable." Other Religious, subject to vanity, may be 
inclined to force themselves upon the public notice by 
advertising their doings, their plans, or their theories, 
preferably with a smiling photo the better to arrest 
attention. But also temptations to presumption are 
not unusual among Religious. " Why should you 
give up this reading? Don't be so fidgety, you must 
learn to brave the danger, you have to acquire a knowl- 
edge of these things some time, and for the rest trust 
in God." 

The answer of our Adorable Master is another act 
of humility by quoting once more the words of Holy 
Writ : " It is written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord 
thy God." The Devil had invoked the authority of the 
Sacred Scriptures, and it is by this same authority 
that our Lord confounds the cunning of the tempter 
and lays bare his malice. This may w^ell remind us 
that we must fight our enemy with his own weapons ; 
what he suggests to render us vain we ought to turn 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT 209 

to our Humiliation ; what he holds up to make us im- 
patient we must embrace as a welcome Cross; what 
he offers us to indulge our gluttony we must abstain 
from for our Mortification. So also, the more he en- 
gages us to show ourselves before men on account of 
our growing knowledge or advancing age, the more we 
must seek to remain in the background ; and the more 
he wants to discourage us by enfeebled health from 
laboring for the salvation and sanctification of souls, 
the more we ought to put forth all our energy of body 
and soul in union with our Divine Master. 

" Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Deut. 
6 :16. ) Also to Religious our Blessed Lord addresses 
this admonition, particularly to such as wish to live 
within the sacred walls of the convent, without mak- 
ing progress, without striving after Holiness. These 
surely are tempting God, by refusing Him that special 
Service for which He called them to this lofty State 
and bestowed on them so many graces. But also 
those may be said to tempt God, who wish to become 
holy without using the means placed at their disposal ; 
who do not apply themselves to prayer, obedience, self- 
conquest, and charity ; who do not seek in all vtihdngs 
their greater Humiliation and continual Mortification. 
Again, such also would be tempting God, who pray for 
the grace of rectifying their inordinate attachment to 
some creature without giving it up as far as they can ; 
or who expect to derive lasting fruit from the annual 
Retreat without striving to get a clear Knowledge of 
the obstacles which up to this have kept them back 
on the road to Perfection, and without making such 
practical and generous Resolutions as are most likely 
to insure their advancement for the future. 

Third Point. The Third Temptation. 

Again the Devil led our Lord to a high mountain — 



210 FIFTH DAY 

probably the top of Mount Quarantana — and there 
represented to Him in an instant the kingdoms of 
the world in all their earthly splendor, saying to Him, 
" All these I will give Thee, if falling down before me 
Thou adore me." This last temptation, made without 
any deceitful reference to Holy Scripture or any pre- 
tended sympathy for our exhausted Savior, bluntly 
proposes a most grievous sin of idolatry. Satan knew 
from experience how far men will go when inflamed 
by the desire of earthly goods and worldly honors. 
Those who are determined to satisfy these inordinate 
cravings, not wishing to acknowledge and worship 
God, the Infinite Goodness, will degrade themselves so 
far as to give adoration to the very Demons of Hell. 
In this temptation, then, the Devil unmasks himself, 
he shows his ultimate purpose, the unbounded, con- 
summate Pride of the wretched soul that has allowed 
itself to be ensnared and enchained by his empty 
promises. Let us well consider these awful chains 
riveted on so many men, and be on our guard against 
the impudent deceptions and ceaseless machinations 
of our Infernal Enemy. 

Though Satan had obtained nothing in his preceding 
attempts, he does not hesitate to propose now a most 
horrible crime in an abrupt and insolent manner. It 
looks like an explosion of malice ; he is no longer able 
to conceal or restrain his fury. Thus the Devil may 
often act with fervent souls that do not permit them- 
selves to be caught in his Snares. Hence, once more, 
we must never be frightened, but bravely resist, put- 
ting all our trust in God. The very fierceness and 
magnitude of a temptation is a sign that our enemy is 
getting desperate, because he has been worsted in his 
carefully laid plans and cunningly disguised attacks. 

Jesus answers by a renewed profession of humility : 



THE TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT 211 

" Begone, Satan, for it is written, the Lord thy God 
shalt thou adore and Him alone shalt thou serve." 
( Deut. 6 :13. ) To the overt temptation Jesus opposes 
direct resistance; the blasphemous pretension of the 
Fiend He meets with the holy scorn of a soul united 
to God. " Begone, Satan." No hesitation, no reason- 
ing. It is thus that I too must reject all evil pro- 
posals, with firm and calm reliance on God, always 
falling back for my defense on His Divine Word, that 
is, on His Adorable Will, in whatever way manifested, 
the Commandments, my Rules, my Resolutions, the 
injunctions and wishes of my Superior, the directions 
and counsels of my Spiritual Guide, to whom my con- 
science should be ever wholly open. 

Then the Devil withdrew for a time, and the Angels 
came and ministered to Jesus. After temptation, 
peace and consolation. But even during the combat, 
the Heavenly Spirits afford us protection and stand 
by our side. Yes, indeed, the words of Holy Writ, 
though referring principally to Christ our Lord, may 
be applied secondarily to every fervent Religious: 
" God has given His Angels charge over thee, to guide 
thee in all thy ways." And this supernatural consola- 
tion is only a faint foretaste of the inconceivable re- 
ward laid up in Heaven for those who here on earth 
have shared in the hardships and conflicts of their 
Lord and King. However, it consists not so much in 
spiritual sweetness as in spiritual progress, more 
Light, more Strength, more Love. 

Colloquy with Jesus, the Conqueror of Hell; im- 
ploring abundant grace that I may bravely labor and 
struggle under His Standard; that I may promptly 
and energetically resist every kind of temptation after 
His Example; that I may frequently experience cold, 



212 FIFTH DAY 

hunger, weariness, and often bear slights, reproaches, 
insults, for Love of Him. Again and again I will 
promise Him with all the earnestness of my soul, to 
seek everywhere my greater humiliation and con- 
tinual mortification, that thus I may be enabled to 
come off victorious in all the assaults of the evil 
spirits, instead of being disgracefully worsted, as has 
happened so often in the past. I will also give most 
fervent thanks to Christ my King, because, though He 
had no need of such special preparation, being hypo- 
statically united to the Eternal Word, yet, for my 
instruction and encouragement, He not only lived 
for thirty years in poverty and lowliness, but, just 
before His encounter with Satan, humbled Himself 
most profoundly by receiving the baptism of John, 
and then persevered in prayer, solitude, and fasting, 
for the space of forty days. Accordingly, with firmer 
confidence than ever, I will appeal to His Sacred 
Heart for the grace of following Him henceforth more 
closely and more steadfastly in the Conquest of Souls. 
— Our Father. 



THE TRIPLE FRUIT OF HUMILITY 

Not a few spiritual writers maintain that one of 
the most remarkable phenomena in asceticism is the 
undeniable fact, that several Saints, at the very time 
when they had already reached a high degree of per- 
fection, occasionally declared themselves the worst 
sinners on earth. But what really seems much more 
remarkable, is this other undisputed fact, that all the 
Saints, without exception, habitually treated the per- 
sons with whom they came in contact as their betters ; 
or, which comes to the same thing, they habitually 
treated themselves as worse than all the rest. In- 
deed, for a man to call himself the worst, the weakest, 
the dullest individual of the human family, is after all 
a comparatively easy matter; since hardly one soul 
out of a thousand will believe him, while the remain- 
ing nine hundred and ninety-nine, — with the excep- 
tion, perhaps, of half a dozen simple folks that will 
mistake his words for a proof of Humility, — will pre- 
fer to think that he does not believe it himself. But 
to act invariably, on all occasions, towards all other 
men, as their inferior, is something diametrically op- 
posed to the most potent tendency of our nature as 
well as to the most deep-seated prejudice of mankind, 
and, consequently, extremely difficult. 

Supposing, however, a person sincerely and con- 
stantly acts as everybody's servant, we need not be 
surprised that he should now and then declare himself 
such ; for this would only be repeating in words what 



214 FIFTH DAY 

he has been emphatically asserting all along by deeds. 
Surely, if a virtuous man, not to say a Saint, treats 
everybody else as better than himself, we must con- 
clude that he really looks upon all others in that light, 
and if he does look upon them as his betters, it follows 
logically that they truly are such — for else his virtue, 
his sanctity, would be based on an erroneous judg- 
ment ; a conclusion which is inadmissible — that they 
are such, not possibly, or probably, or conditionally, 
but actually, certainly, and categorically. The only 
thing we need not grant, is that they are such in every 
sense or from every point of view. In what sense, 
then, and from what standpoint, can we truly and 
positively deem and call ourselves worse than all the 
rest of men, and consequently treat them as our bet- 
ters? 

The only satisfactory answer to this query is fur- 
nished by St. Thomas (2-2, q. 161, a.3) and runs thus : 
" By considering in ourselves only what is our own," 
namely, our utter nothingness and profound sinful- 
ness, " while considering in all others only what is 
God's," that is, the gifts they have received from Him 
in the natural and the supernatural order. But, some 
will say, of what practical use is this? In this sense, 
of course, every man is worse than all the rest. A 
child knows that. Quite so, this statement of the 
Angelic Doctor requires no proof; in fact, we might 
call it a mere truism. But just let us try to act upon 
it sincerely, habitually, constantly; and it will soon 
assume for us an altogether different aspect. 

Yet, if we wish to become humble, that is exactly 
what we have to do. For Humility, according to the 
same authority, inclines us always to take our proper 
place with regard to God and whatever represents 
God. Now God is infinitely exalted above all created 



THE TRIPLE FRUIT OF HUMILITY 215 

being and perfection, while we, as we are of ourselves, 
are placed at the other extremity, infinitely below all 
created being and perfection. This also is plain 
enough even to a child ; in fact, it is the same truism 
as the one just mentioned, only in a slightly altered 
form. But always to take that place, at least in- 
wardly if we cannot do so outwardly, never to lift up 
ourselves unduly before God or anything that repre- 
sents God, there lies the difficulty and there also lies 
the virtue of Humility as practised by the Saints. 
They treated themselves and wished to be treated as 
worse than all sinners, simply because they recognized 
in even the greatest sinner some limited participation 
in the Adorable Perfection of the Most High — a par- 
ticipation which they, the Saints, would not and could 
not find in themselves as their own. 

On the other hand, as St. Thomas also teaches, Hu- 
mility does not require that a man, taken precisely for 
what he is of himself, should lower himself beneath 
any other man, also taken precisely for what he is of 
himself ; much less does Humility require that a man, 
considered as divinely endowed with various gifts, 
should lower himself beneath another man, considered 
without any such gifts, as a mere sinful nothing. 
Either would be an absurdity, while Humility is but 
the practical embodiment of a truth so simple and 
evident, that we may well style it a truism. 

But why is it not sufficient to acknowledge and 
praise God personally, as the Supreme and Absolute 
Perfection? Why must we, besides, recognize and 
honor that Perfection in all creatures? Because they 
all bear an essential relation to Him and hence neces- 
sarily represent Him; in other words, because He 
placed us in the midst of creatures, precisely in order 
that we might have an ever-present opportunity of ex- 



216 FIFTH DAY 

hibiting towards Him that profound veneration, un- 
qualified submission, and supreme love, which are due 
to His Infinite Excellence. 

This indirect but continual worship would have 
been indispensable, even if we had been born in orig- 
inal justice ; how much more so now in our fallen con- 
dition, now that we are naturally so full of pride that 
it pervades, like a virulent poison, our entire being 
and infects, so to speak, the very marrow of our bones? 
Pride is the very antipode of Humility, or to borrow 
St. Augustine's forcible expression : " As Humility 
is the love of God to the contempt of self, so Pride is 
the love of self to the contempt of God." Again, just 
as Humility presupposes a most plain and palpable 
truth apprehended by the mind, so pride has for its 
intellectual prerequisite, not mere ignorance, but 
falsehood, a gross and glaring falsehood, by which we 
pretend to be something of ourselves, apart from God, 
and fancy that our proper place is somewhere between 
the infinitely high and the infinitely low, but not 
indeed at the very bottom of the abyss of nothingness 
and sin. In fact, Pride goes so far as actually to 
usurp the throne of the Most High. Instead of wor- 
shiping God made Man, it worships man made god. 

Saturated, as we are, through and through, with 
this hellish venom, which is ready to break out in our 
every thought, word, and action, true reverence 
towards God is a sheer impossibility, unless we labor 
incessantly at counteracting this loathsome disease, 
this desperate madness, this monstrous perversion of 
truth and order and justice; by casting ourselves be- 
neath every one of the numberless beings that sur- 
round us, in so far as each, in its own more or less 
limited way, represents to us the Supreme Majesty of 
God; by shutting our eyes, as it were, to all that is 



THE TRIPLE FRUIT OF HUMILITY 217 

weak, defective, and hurtful in other creatures, in 
order to observe in them only what is powerful, per- 
fect, and beneficial ; and, on the other hand, by being 
blind, so to say, to whatever goodness we ourselves 
may possess through the Divine Liberality, in order to 
rivet our gaze only on what we are by our own birtK- 
right and achievement ; namely, negation, corruption, 
and degradation. 

And in this we can never go too far. For Humility 
is not a matter of sentiment, nor does it admit of exag- 
geration ; but it must ever remain in strict accordance 
with the truth and perishes immediately on being sev- 
ered from the truth. It is, in fact, a Practical Love 
of Truth, yea, the Only Genuine Love of Truth, for it 
is the love of a truth that is most distasteful, most ab- 
horrent to our fallen nature, a truth that knocks down 
and dashes to pieces the phantastic idol of our inordi- 
nate self-esteem. 

To obtain Humility, we must get wholly possessed 
of this truth; namely, that apart from God we are 
nothing and worse than nothing; we must identify 
ourselves with it ; we must act upon it with unwearied 
energy and a holy, unconquerable obstinacy ; act upon 
it continuously, in spite of the engrossment of duties, 
the cares of business, or the distractions of recreation, 
in spite of the buoyancy of health or the languor of 
indisposition, the elation of success or the depression 
of failure, in spite of the tumult of passion, the on- 
slaught of temptation, the bitterness of spiritual dere- 
liction, or the sweetness of heavenly delights. And if 
we happen to notice something wrong, something de- 
ficient, something imperfect in any other creature, we 
must invariably take it as a most useful object-lesson, 
teaching us unmistakably what we are of ourselves, 
and reminding us emphatically of our own unlimited 



218 FIFTH DAY 

capacity for evil. In this way, we shall neither be dis- 
turbed nor disheartened by our own failings, nor be 
surprised or scandalized at our neighbor's faults, but 
all our knowledge will conspire to make us despise 
self more heartily and revere God more profoundly, in 
accordance with St. Augustine's loving prayer: 
" Grant me, O God, to know myself and to know Thee, 
that I may despise myself and love Thee." 

Now, the benefits we derive from Humility are many 
and varied. This lowly virtue makes us less liable to 
error and protects us against fraud and imposture ; it 
cures us of the baneful habit of criticising and rid- 
iculing whatever happens to be at variance with our 
pet ideas and selfish aims; it frees us from the incu- 
bus of self-consciousness ; and it renders us a welcome 
friend to all men, even to the proud. But leaving 
these minor advantages to future consideration and 
personal experience, let us for the present concentrate 
our attention on the Three Principal Fruits of Per- 
fection produced by Humility ; namely, a Life of Lov- 
ing Prayer, a Life of Constant Mortification, and a 
Life of Ardent Charity. 

First Fruit of Humility: a Life of Loving Prayer. 

Evidently, it is only in proportion as we are pene- 
trated by a keen sense of our own utter helplessness, 
that we feel prompted to have recourse to God, to 
place in Him our entire trust, and to pour out before 
Him urgent and incessant petitions for His All-Power- 
ful Assistance. But if we do so, since the Lord hears 
us whenever we pray to Him with Humility and Con- 
fidence, He will gradually flood our soul with His su- 
pernatural light and reveal to us our numberless 
miseries ever more distinctly, whilst He will in the 
same measure sustain our spirit with His heavenly 



THE TRIPLE FRUIT OF HUMILITY 219 

grace and encourage us to renew our entreaties with 
ever greater fervor and frequency. 

Besides, Humility, by causing us to refer to God 
alone all the perfections we notice in any of His 
creatures and all their imperfections to ourselves, en- 
ables us truly to live, according to the maxim of the 
Saints, as if the only two beings in this world were 
God and Self. Thus we are not only kept persistently 
in His Adorable Presence, offering Him a perpetual 
sacrifice of praise, abandoning ourselves entirely to 
the rule of His Never-Failing Providence, and direct- 
ing all our actions solely to His Greater Glory; but 
we are also continually borne up from the considera- 
tion of these creatures, on the wings of a most child- 
like and self-forgetful admiration, to Him, the Inex- 
haustible Source of all perfection and beauty, ever 
exclaiming in spirit with the Royal Psalmist : " O 
Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name throughout the uni- 
verse ! As often as I behold the firmament, the work 
of Thy Fingers, and contemplate the moon and the 
stars which Thou didst fashion, I am lost in astonish- 
ment that Thou shouldst be mindful of man and 
shouldst visit the son of man in Thy Mercy." 

But when reflecting how this infinitely Great God 
not only condescends to be mindful of man and to 
visit him in His Mercy, not only vouchsafes to labor, 
as it were, for man, in all His creatures, but even has 
deigned to come down from His realm of endless bliss, 
in order to be mocked and calumniated, to be trampled 
and spit upon, to be scourged and crucified for man, 
and actually goes so far as to conceal every vestige of 
His Sovereign Majesty under the lowly appearances of 
food and drink, from sheer excess of goodness toward 
a being so wretched, so despicable, so ungrateful; 
then the humble soul seems no longer able to contain 



220 FIFTH DAY 

herself, she is pierced with rapturous grief, she is 
merged in torments and yet would not part with them 
for all the joys of earth, though she does not even think 
of this, but only adores and loves. And just as world- 
lings are ever looking for amusements and distinc- 
tions, and hankering after affection and esteem; so 
this soul is wholly bent on trials and humiliations, and 
thirsts for hatred and contumely, because she cannot 
bear, or rather wholly abhors, to be treated better or to 
be more respected than her Lord and Savior, Jesus 
Christ. 

Second Fruit of Humility: a Life of Constant Mor- 
tification. 

As soon as we come to realize, on the one hand, 
God's Supreme Majesty and Incomparable Holiness, 
and, on the other, our own utter nothingness and man- 
ifold sinfulness, we cannot suffer that there should 
remain in us any danger of future disobedience or 
any trace of former rebellion ; and hence, while wag- 
ing an implacable warfare with all the corrupt tend- 
encies of our nature, we feel an urgent need of paying, 
by this very means, even the last farthing of that im- 
mense debt we have contracted by our sins towards the 
Divine Justice. 

Again, the thought of God's Astonishing Goodness 
and Mercy towards men, of His Labors and Watches, 
of His Passion and Death, of His Apparent Annihila- 
tion in the Holy Eucharist, fills the humble heart with 
such an overwhelming sense of the heinousness of 
even the smallest deliberate venial sin, that no pen- 
ance appears too hard or too long, no tears too con- 
stant or too copious, no contrition too intense, to 
atone for such black ingratitude. 

Besides, we are conscious that as long as our soul 



THE TRIPLE FEUIT OF HUMILITY 221 

is marred by any stain of guilt or punishment, there 
can be no question of that intimate friendship, for 
which the continual contemplation of God's Ineffable 
Beauty and Perfection makes us long and yearn with 
the utmost vehemence. Spurred on, by this loving 
shame and burning with a holy hatred of self, we 
invite all creatures to avenge on us the outrages we 
have committed against the Most High, and thank 
every being that brings upon us pain, distress, or con- 
tempt, for thus fitting us for a closer union with our 
Adorable Master, a sweeter foretaste of the beatific 
vision. In fact, this very desire of purgation and 
atonement imparts to our hearts a marked resem- 
blance to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ever Radiant with 
Absolute Purity yet ever Consumed with Insatiable 
Longing to blot out our sins by the unspeakable tor- 
tures, anguish, and ignominy of the Cross. 

Third Fruit of Humility: a Life of Ardent Frater- 
nal Charity. 

True Humility not only inclines us to give to all the 
preference in everything and sincerely to esteem them 
as our betters, but it also makes us acknowledge, 
revere, and cherish in every one God our Lord. Hence, 
just as Humility leads us unerringly to the love of God 
in Himself, so it leads us necessarily to the love of God 
in His image, wherever and in whatever degree that 
image may be found, but especially where that image 
is shining forth, or at least is intended to shine forth, 
with transcendent brightness and beauty, as in man. 

Again, since Humility indirectly renders man sub- 
ject and conformable to all Divine Order, Law, Coun- 
sel, and Example, the mere recollection of the Son of 
God expiring on the Cross for the salvation of the 
world, a simple glance at the Crucifix, is sufficient to 



222 FIFTH DAY 

inflame the humble Christian with efficacious zeal for 
procuring the good of his brethren, the conversion of 
sinners, the advancement of the just, the exaltation of 
the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. 

Moreover, for a Spiritual Being, whether Divine, 
Angelic, or Human, love is an imperative necessity, so 
much so that St. Catherine of Genoa declares that hell 
would not be hell, were it not that the reprobate are 
forever deprived of love. " To love and to be loved," 
says St. Augustine, " is the soul's incessant craving." 
Consequently, as soon as the obstacles to holy love are 
removed by Humility, the soul is kindled with this 
celestial fire and transformed by it into the likeness of 
the Infinite Goodness, God. And as the Divine Good- 
ness is essentially communicative, actually benefiting 
every creature to the full of its capacity, this super- 
natural likeness renders us at once efficient instru- 
ments of blessing to other beings, so that the higher 
we rise in heavenly favor, the deeper we lower our- 
selves again as the devoted servants of all, striving to 
bestow on each, according as circumstances will sug- 
gest, esteem, affection, encouragement, care, comfort, 
assistance, whatever good, in short, Providence may 
have placed at our disposal. However rude, however 
degraded, or however perverse our neighbor may be, we 
cherish him with a love far more tender and far more 
operative, than we ever felt naturally for our dearest 
friends. We embrace the whole world, we desire to 
toil and suffer for our charges, for our Community, 
for our Country, for the entire Church, and whether 
living or dying we long to become, in union with our 
Adorable Master, victims for the salvation and sanc- 
tification of souls. 

In connection with this, the end of our holy Insti- 
tute, let us never lose sight of the grand principle laid 



THE TRIPLE FRUIT OF HUMILITY 223 

down by St. Paul : " The foolish things of the world 
hath God chosen that He may confound the wise, and 
the weak things of the world hath God chosen that He 
man confound the strong, and the base things of the 
world, and the things that are contemptible, hath God 
chosen, and the things that are not, that He might 
bring to naught the things that are, so that no flesh 
should glory in His sight." This is the one absolutely 
indispensable preparation for the great work before 
us; to become foolish, weak, base, contemptible, and 
hateful, in our own sincere conviction and inmost ap- 
preciation. Without this preparation, no talent, no 
learning, no experience, no polish, no influence will be 
of any avail for the propagation of the Kingdom of 
Christ. But, if we are thoroughly humble, gentle, 
and meek, our various ministries and our very lives 
will be blessed with a wonderful efficacy for win- 
ning back sinners and leading men to Heaven. 

Such, then, are the admirable effects of Humility: 
Love of God, Love of the Cross, and Love of our 
Neighbor. Surely, it is well worth the trouble to 
pray and labor for this virtue with all the energy 
of our being. True, our Pride is a vice most difficult 
to eradicate. Yet what would be utterly impossible 
to merely human efforts, becomes not only possible 
but even easy and delightful with the help of Grace. 
Day after day, then, through the all-powerful media- 
tion of Mary, Mother of God, the most lowly Virgin of 
Nazareth, I must keep imploring real and solid Hu- 
mility from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Supreme 
Pattern and Prolific Fountainhead of every Virtue. 
Moreover, relying exclusively on His light and 
strength, I will unflinchingly descend into the dark 
abyss of my origin ; I will diligently explore the foul 



224 FIFTH DAY 

recesses of my vices; I will persistently strive to 
bring both my interior and my exterior into exact 
conformity with the truth; I will unhesitatingly em- 
brace every lawful means to remain completely hid- 
den, unnoticed, and ignored, or else, to be known 
for what I really am and despised to the full of my 
deserts; I will eagerly seize upon every opportunity 
of lowering myself beneath other men and other 
creatures; I will everywhere claim, as my special 
privilege, to be allowed to render others the most 
laborious and most menial services; I will inwardly 
abase myself whenever any one bestows on me even 
the slightest attention or the most trifling benefit; 
and I will sincerely rejoice at the certain prospect 
that, sooner or later, all my vileness shall be revealed 
before the whole world on the day of the General 
Judgment, the day of the triumphant vindication of 
the Eights of God, the day of the endless exaltation 
of the Divine Goodness. 

What, indeed, would be the use of cajoling our- 
selves with dangerous illusions, of wasting the pre- 
cious time in attempting to effect an impossible com- 
promise between Grace and Nature, and of squander- 
ing our energies in fruitless endeavors to rear a lofty 
structure of Sanctity before we have laid deep and 
solid the foundation of Humility? God unceasingly 
demands our total and absolute surrender, as the one 
condition to raise us to real Holiness and inconceiv- 
able Glory. " Every one of you," says our Divine 
Master, " that does not renounce all he possesses, can- 
not be My disciple." And again : " Unless you be- 
come as little children, you shall not enter the King- 
dom of Heaven." Our corrupt nature, on the 
contrary, unceasingly clamors for a recognition and 
independence which inevitably leads to unutterable 



THE TRIPLE FRUIT OF HUMILITY 225 

woe and infinite disgrace. This absolute surrender 
of ourselves, this mystic renunciation of all we 
possess, this total abandonment of our false preten- 
sions, this complete subjection of our inborn lawless- 
ness, is Humility. 

Humility is the root of Sanctity, the measure of 
Sanctity, the safeguard of Sanctity; Humility prac- 
tically is Sanctity. Hence, the first, the chiefest, and 
the only thing we have to do is to humble our own 
self. We must break off with this perfidious rebel, 
we must drive this wretch back into his native noth- 
ingness, we must confound this arrogant monster 
with his blunders and misdeeds, we must scorn the 
fantastic notions and morbid desires of this maniac, 
we must make this proud demon forswear all pre- 
tense to even the slightest share in whatever good 
there may be either in our body, or in our soul, or in 
our labors, or in our connections, or in our nation- 
ality, or in our Institute. 

Yes, even in our holy Institute, for though this our 
beloved Mother, thanks to the Divine Favor, has 
ever done and is still doing great things for the salva- 
tion and sanctification of souls, and though it be the 
bounden duty of every true child of hers to take a 
deep interest, a noble pride, an intense delight, both 
in her grand past and in her promising future; yet, 
as soon as a member begins to look upon this work 
with self-complacent satisfaction ; as soon as he refers 
to it with uncalled-for frequency and emphasis; as 
soon as it tends to lessen his esteem for any of his 
fellow men ; as soon as it no longer sends to his brow 
the blush of shame and indignation for still falling 
so far short of the lofty perfection put before him 
by his Saintly Founder; as soon as it does not rouse 
his whole being to more faithful imitation of his 



226 FIFTH DAY 

Spiritual Ancestors and Brothers, to more strenuous 
exertion along the path of virtue and in the Lord's 
Vineyard, to more continual practice of Self-Denial 
and Self -Abasement ; that moment he proves a traitor 
to his Order, a destroyer of its widespread Influence, 
a profaner of the heroism of its Confessors and the 
blood of its Martyrs. Every Keligious Society was 
founded on Humility, and in Humility lies all its 
strength, its beauty, its glory, its efficacy, and its 
very life. 



THE TEMPEST ON THE LAKE 

Introductory Remarks. — With regard to tempta- 
tions many Religious fall into two mistakes. On 
the one hand, they make too little of self-com- 
placency, vanity, disobedience, uncharitableness, re- 
sentment, criticisms, and complaints; while on the 
other hand, they make too much of thoughts, 
imaginations, or emotions contrary to chastity. 
They readily yield to the former and feel little 
or no sorrow for doing so; but about the latter 
they get deeply disturbed and sorely vexed, instead 
of calmly resisting them with prompt and ferv- 
ent prayer. Whence this difference? Temptations 
against chastity make us realize more vividly that 
our wretched soul is imprisoned in a corruptible 
body and thus they shock our pride. But instead 
of humbling ourselves, we begin to fret and worry to 
no purpose, except to render the temptation more 
persistent and violent. Consequently, the remedy is 
to apply ourselves more earnestly to the practice of 
Humility, Obedience, and Charity. 

Subject of this Meditation. — Christ our Lord, 
after having fed an immense multitude with five 
loaves and two fishes, ordered His Disciples to retire 
to the boat and to go before Him across the lake, 
whilst He dismissed the people and went up into the 
mountain to pray. A violent storm arose and the 
boat was being tossed about on the waves, when Jesus 
came to His Disciples walking on the waters. As 



228 FIFTH DAY 

they thought that it was an apparition, He said to 
them, " It is I, fear ye not." Peter, at His command, 
came to Him, walking upon the water, but becoming 
alarmed began to sink. Our Lord, however, saved 
him saying, " O thou of little faith, why didst thou 
doubt?" And when they had entered the boat the 
wind ceased.— Matt. 14:22-32. 

Composition of Place. — The lake of Gennesareth 
swept by the storm, and the boat of the Apostles at 
the mercy of the waves. 

Petition. — From the various details of this oc- 
currence, to gain a more intimate knowledge of our 
Lord, so that I may love Him more fervently and 
follow Him more generously. 

First Point. The Disciples on the Lake. 

It is the evening after the multiplication of the 
loaves, by which Christ had given such a striking 
proof of His Divine Power and foreshadowed the 
mystery of the Holy Eucharist. And now, almost 
immediately after His Apostles had filled twelve 
baskets with the fragments left of the bread, pre- 
cisely now that the people aroused by this stupen- 
dous miracle, insist on proclaiming Jesus their long- 
expected Messias, their King, He is putting the obe- 
dience and confidence of His privileged Disciples to 
a most severe test. Without allowing them to watch 
and direct the course of this popular enthusiasm, so 
congenial to their national aspirations and their per- 
sonal ambition, He simply bids them go before Him 
across the lake. He does not even tell them when 
or how He will rejoin them. Just now, when the pros- 
pects of their beloved Master look so fair, they must 
leave Him. So it may happen likewise to Religious, 



THE TEMPEST ON THE LAKE 229 

that, precisely when the circumstances seem most 
favorable for doing their work, either individually 
or collectively, they are suddenly removed from their 
sphere of action. Let us always humbly and lovingly 
adore the dispositions of Providence, especially in 
the arrangements of Superiors; but for this purpose 
it is evidently necessary that we should keep our- 
selves thoroughly detached from every creature. 

The wind is contrary, the sky is overcast, the day 
is waning, yet the Disciples obey. This lake on which 
they are ordered to embark, may well symbolize the 
present world with its many dangers and sudden 
storms. It would, no doubt, have been much more 
agreeable for them to stay with Jesus on the safe 
shore or even to retire with Him up on the lonely 
mountain to some place of rest ; but the moment Supe- 
riors ordain otherwise or Providence disposes dif- 
ferently, we must sacrifice all our personal views and 
natural inclinations with a holy joy and eagerness. 
Then, whatever difficulties turn up in our new career, 
we may count on the Divine Assistance that the waves 
will not overwhelm our skiff, that the waters of tribu- 
lation will not submerge our soul. But we must take 
care to have a pure intention in setting out. For, if 
our heart is not exclusively fixed on God, if we start 
out with a view to some personal advantage, then 
even the lightest breeze of adversity is sure to upset 
us. Such, perhaps, was the case in the past when, 
on account of some trifling ailment, we importuned 
the Superior to be relieved from our charge or even 
to be recalled from our post. 

The Disciples, therefore, set out together, a little 
band, united by the ties of charity, bound for the 
same port, and pledged forever to mutual assistance. 
In this respect they may remind us of a Keligious 



230 FIFTH DAY 

Community. How closely united all its members 
ought to be as true brothers by supernatural love, ani- 
mated with the sole desire of pleasing their Heavenly 
Father and of rendering one another, for His sake, 
every possible service. Am I such a Religious? Do 
I at least pray daily, during the Holy Mass and in 
my Holy Communion, for my Superiors as well as 
for the other members, for the sick and suffering, par- 
ticularly for those detained in Purgatory? 

But as the night advances they are being tossed 
about upon the billows, unable to make any headway 
against the fierce tempest. A faithful picture of 
what happens to us in the Spiritual Life. We pushed 
from shore full of energy, our first exertions made us 
get on fairly, — such was probably our noviceship, — 
but then darkness began to fall and to grow thicker, 
a contrary wind arose and waxed stronger, we were 
no longer capable of making any progress, soon we 
were drifting at the mercy of the waves, we felt our 
courage vanishing and feared every moment to go 
down. God permits these periods of trial and temp- 
tation, of desolation and failure, in order that we may 
learn experimentally to distrust our own weakness 
and may thus be urged to place our entire reliance 
on Him. Yet, all the while, we seem to be alone and 
abandoned. 

Jesus had remained on shore. After dismissing 
the excited multitude, He had withdrawn to the moun- 
tain to pray. Do I too have recourse to special 
prayer, when either I myself am tempted or some 
other member is afflicted, when the welfare of the Com- 
munity is threatened by adversity or contradiction, 
w T hen it seems to me that fervor is yielding to relaxa- 
tion and zeal is lapsing into indifference? Mean- 
while our Lord is fully aware of the critical situa- 



THE TEMPEST ON THE LAKE 231 

tion of His cherished Apostles, He is spiritually 
present in their midst, He diligently watches over 
their bark, and it is especially for them that He pours 
out His most ardent supplications. So now in 
Heaven, He is ever pleading for each of us the infinite 
merits of His Sacred Wounds. So, again, He re- 
mains ever with us, the Spouse of our souls, in the 
Adorable Eucharist. No doubt, the Apostles on their 
part thought of their loving Master ; though, perhaps, 
some felt inclined to murmur at having been thus 
exposed to imminent danger of death. How foolish, 
how ungrateful, it would have been for them to enter- 
tain such a thought. I must, then, never think that 
I am really alone and abandoned in my difficulties 
and hardships. At the very hour when Jesus appears 
to be farthest away, He intercedes for me most ef- 
ficaciously with the Eternal Father, and the moment 
I seem on the point of perishing is just the one at 
which He will show Himself again to restore me to 
safety and peace. " Let not your heart be troubled 
nor let it be afraid," neither in darkness nor in dan- 
ger, neither in desolation nor in death. 

Second Point. Our Lord Comes to His Disciples. 

About the fourth watch of the night, that is to say 
a little before dawn, Jesus comes down from the 
mountain and goes across the waves towards the boat. 
He walks on the water, thus showing that He is the 
Sovereign Lord of all creation, and that He rules 
everything by His mere Will. Let us adore Him 
in this manifestation of His Infinite Majesty; let us 
beg to be wholly immolated in body and mind to His 
Divine Glory. How eagerly the lower creatures of- 
fer Him their miraculous support and protection! 
So they often did also in the case of His Saints. 



232 FIFTH DAY 

What confidence, therefore, should be ours as long 
as we are acting under the orders of our King, com- 
bating under the Standard of our Captain, toiling 
and suffering in affectionate subjection to our Supe- 
riors? Keally, our confidence should be unlimited, 
no less than our devotion. 

As the Disciples see our Lord advancing towards 
them, they take Him for an apparition and cry out for 
fear. Under the stress of tribulation we too find it 
sometimes difficult to recognize our Divine Master. 
We are full of alarm through lack of Faith, we fail 
to see God in whatever befalls us through the agency 
of His creatures, and especially in what is imposed or 
entailed on us by Holy Obedience. But we are also 
full of fear through lack of trust in the Wisdom and 
Goodness of our Heavenly Father. How displeasing, 
how offensive, such diffidence and cowardice must be 
to His Sacred Heart. But our Blessed Savior quickly 
reassures His frightened Apostles saying : " Be of 
good heart ; it is I, fear not ! " Thus, when Jesus 
deigns to reveal Himself to our troubled mind and 
to let His sweet voice resound within our afflicted 
soul, He treats us so lovingly and inspires us with 
so much courage, that all apprehensions vanish at 
once. And then we feel able to brave even worse 
tempests. 

No sooner had Jesus entered the boat than, by a 
mere act of His Will, the wind ceased, and in another 
moment they found themselves landing on the desired 
shore. So when Divine Grace descends into our 
soul, it stills the most violent disturbances, and 
though, while the trouble lasted, we were apparently 
making no progress whatever, yet now, of a sudden, 
we can notice a considerable gain. Let us, then, not 
be disheartened because the trial is prolonged or 



THE TEMPEST ON THE LAKE 233 

because we cannot perceive any spiritual improve- 
ment. During the storm we are unable to estimate 
how much headway we are really making; and even, 
if we had not made any at all, Jesus, by a mere act 
of His Will, can cause us to reach in an instant the 
object of our lifelong prayers and endeavors. Let us, 
therefore, never slacken in our longing nor grow de- 
spondent in our striving after Holiness. 

Third Point. Our Lord and Saint Peter. 

When Jesus had said, " It is I," Peter cried out, 
" Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come to Thee upon the 
waters." And our Savior answered, " Come." What 
was it that urged Peter to make such a bold pro- 
posal? It was undoubtedly his strong faith and his 
ardent devotion, the desire of being as soon as possible 
with his Beloved Master. Let us imitate the Apostle 
in these his characteristic virtues. Let us, if pos- 
sible, anticipate in the chapel the hour for medita- 
tion, office, examen, and visit. Jesus did not blame 
Peter's request; on the contrary, He granted it ap- 
provingly. We are thus reminded that it is praise- 
worthy to aspire after the closest union with Christ 
our Lord and to offer ourselves to walk the unknown 
paths of Supernatural Prayer. According to the 
testimony of the Saints and the teaching of the Doc- 
tors, nothing is better calculated to cleanse the soul 
from all earthly dross than the graces communicated 
to it in Mystical Contemplation. While we must 
never attempt anything beyond what is common, with- 
out an explicit call, an authentic invitation of our 
Adorable Spouse, we should diligently prepare our- 
selves for this immense favor by unwavering fidelity 
and great generosity. 

Will Peter, consequently, reach Jesus safely? Yes, 



234 FIFTH DAY 

but Jesus will also test the confidence and the humil- 
ity of His Apostle. There conies a violent gust of 
wind ; Peter too is now getting alarmed and begins to 
sink. But at once he cries out for help : " Lord, save 
me, I perish." Why does Peter sink? Because, in 
spite of the word of Jesus, he doubts of his own safety. 
So it may often go with us in the outward tempta- 
tions to which we are exposed in consequence of the 
arrangements of Holy Obedience, or in the inward 
trials that come upon us on the road to sanctity 
through the permission of Divine Providence. But 
let us always do like the Apostle : let us call on Jesus, 
our Compassionate and Gracious Lord. Surely, if 
Peter had continued to doubt he would actually have 
gone under. But the very imminence of the peril 
gave him a deeper sense of his own nothingness and 
made him appeal with greater earnestness to his 
Loving Master. 

Especially in those moments of difficulty or danger, 
when we find our confidence upset and our resolutions 
shaken, we should, with the utmost ardor, implore 
the mercy of our Heavenly Spouse. It was in order 
to comply with the Call of God that we entered the 
Religious State, and that we bound ourselves by the 
three Vows to bend all our energies and devote our 
whole life in striving after the Perfection of Charity, 
after the most Signal Service of our Adorable King, 
after the most Generous Imitation of Jesus our Lord. 
Let us, then, not get frightened by the thought of 
failure, or at the view of the obstacles, or by the 
length and severity of the contest. Far from it. But 
let us persist in appealing to our Divine Master, 
with a sincere acknowledgment of our past short- 
comings and with a fervent prayer that He may deign 
to reach out His hand to us, as He did to Peter, and 



THE TEMPEST ON THE LAKE 235 

may enable us to enjoy at last His intimate Friend- 
ship, His holy Familiarity. " O thou of little faith, 
why didst thou fear?" Why so fainthearted, why 
so pusillanimous? All such apprehensions about the 
reality of our Vocation, all such misgivings about our 
ultimate success, are to be utterly discarded. With- 
out trials, where would be the merit of faith, where 
would be the very possibility of progress? 

Colloquy with Christ our Lord, begging Him to 
give us courage in the correspondence to His Call, in 
the accomplishment of His Will, in the practice of 
Religious Obedience. We will confess to Him our 
shame and sorrow for having on so many occasions 
yielded to lassitude and despondency; and we will 
fervently beseech Him to pardon our diffidence and 
cowardice. And then, with renewed trust in His 
Power, Wisdom, and Love, we will implore Him not 
to spare us any trials or afflictions that may advance 
us ever so little in His Holy Service or fit us in any 
degree however small for His closer Imitation. — Our 
Father. 



A. M. D. G. 



"MY CHILD, GIVE MB THY HEART." 



SIXTH DAY 



special patron : St. Francis of Assisi. 

motto : " My God and my all." 

spirit: Esteem and Desire of Evangelical and Re- 
ligions Perfection. 

reading: Imitation; Bk. 11,0.9,11. 

Bk. Ill, C. 6, 7, 12, 23, 31, 32, 
35, 38, 43, 59. 



Continue the work of yesterday, writing down your 
Lights and Resolutions, and reviewing the Notes of 
your previous Retreats. Consider also what subject 
you ought to take for your Particular Examen, and 
study out the details of your plan of campaign. 



THE CONVERSION OF MARY 
MAGDALEN 

Subject of this Meditation. — While Christ our 
Lord was at table in the house of Simon, the Pharisee, 
Mary Magdalen entered carrying an alabaster vase of 
perfume. Placing herself behind our Lord at His 
feet, she began to bathe them with her tears and to 
wipe them with her hair, and having kissed them re- 
peatedly she poured out on them the precious oint- 
ment. As Simon, in his inmost heart, disapproved 
of all this, Christ spoke up for her, saying; "Many 
sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much," 
and then turning to Magdalen He added ; " Thy faith 
hath saved thee, go in peace." — Luke 7:36-50. 

Composition of Place. — The dining-room in the 
house of Simon. 

Petition. — An intimate knowledge of my Lord, re- 
ceiving the homage and penance of Mary Magdalen, 
that I may love Him more ardently and follow Him 
more closely, after her example, even to the foot of 
the Cross. 

First Point. Persons.— While our Blessed Savior 
is at table, with Simon, the Apostles, and other in- 
vited guests, Mary Magdalen enters carrying in her 
hands an alabaster vial. 

We may first contemplate our Dearest Lord reclin- 
ing with perfect composure on the couch, according 



238 SIXTH DAY 

to the Oriental custom, partaking modestly of the 
food provided by His host, and striving by His 
heavenly conversation to enlighten the minds and 
touch the hearts of these prejudiced Pharisees. What 
ardent zeal shines forth in his whole Person! 
Though He had not been received with even the 
ordinary marks of respect and kindness, customary 
in those times among the Jews, though He had not 
been offered any water for the almost indispensable 
washing of the feet, nor the kiss of friendship equiva- 
lent to our more usual shaking of hands, and much 
less any special token of esteem as the perfuming of 
the head with some fragrant essence, yet our Divine 
Master, full of humility, meekness, and love, would 
seem only the more intent on procuring the happiness 
and the sanctification of His ungracious host. Hence 
we should learn not to lose heart if, in our visits 
to the Blessed Sacrament, in our assistance at Holy 
Mass, and even in our reception of the Adorable 
Eucharist, we are at times so listless, so distracted, so 
cold. Jesus knows our weakness, our misery, and if 
only we humble ourselves sincerely and lovingly, He 
will surely bestow on us the same graces as He would 
have given us had we been recollected and fervent. 
But how should I feel under similar circumstances? 
How do I act when slighted or ignored? 

But now, to the surprise and disgust of Simon, Mary 
Magdalen unexpectedly enters the dining-room. She 
was well known to all present as a sinful woman, 
and she keenly felt all eyes, except those of our 
Divine Savior, fastened on her person. What con- 
fusion! especially as she went straight to where our 
Lord was reclining, knelt behind Him at His sacred 
feet, and thus made a public avowal of her wicked 
past, not only before the good and simple Apostles, 



CONVERSION OF MAEY MAGDALEN 239 

but also before the haughty and sanctimonious Phari- 
sees, and before the numerous lookers-on, her own 
townspeople. But she relished all this confusion, 
for it gave some relief to the burning contrition that 
filled her soul ; it was like a sweet balm to her crushed 
and broken heart. Oh! why cannot I imitate her? 
When I enter the chapel and come into the Presence 
of my Divine Lord, why cannot I stir up similar 
sentiments of confusion and contrition, considering 
how inordinate and how sinful, perhaps, my life has 
been during so many years? And when I am in the 
company of my Brethren why cannot I realize more 
vividly my utter unworthiness to associate and to sit 
at the same table with them, or even to render any 
service to these dear friends of my God and Savior? 

Second Point. Actions. — Mary Magdalen kneels 
down at the feet of our Lord, behind His adorable 
Person ; bathes them with her tears, wipes them with 
her hair, covers them with kisses, and pours on them 
the fragrant contents of the alabaster vase. Let me 
study in detail these successive manifestations of her 
humble and contrite love. 

She kneels down behind the Person of our Lord, 
as unworthy to meet His gaze or to occupy His atten- 
tion; at His feet, bending down in the attitude of a 
servant and a suppliant. How well it would be for 
me, if I were to make it my custom thus to approach 
my Divine Master, with interior and exterior abnega- 
tion, when I begin by Prayer and, more especially, 
when I am about to receive Him in Holy Communion. 
There is no better preparation for this inestimable 
favor than sincere Humility and fervent Humiliation ; 
and on our part it is the only preparation He looks 
for, provided it be joined, as in the case of Mary 



240 SIXTH DAY 

Magdalen, to a boundless Confidence, an exclusive 
trust in the Goodness, the Mercy, the Love of Jesus 
our Lord. In fact, these two virtues, Humility and 
Confidence, always go together, for the less we rely 
on self, the more we rely on God. We are often, per- 
haps, dry in our Meditation, at Holy Mass, or in Holy 
Communion, because we do not approach our Lord 
with these essential dispositions of Humility and 
Confidence. We look sometimes too much for sen- 
sible devotion; or, what is worse, we go about these 
sacred functions in a humdrum, routinary, superfi- 
cial, indolent manner. Yet it is so easy to practise 
Humility and Confidence. Is not our very motion 
of kneeling down an expression of our lowliness, an 
act of self-humiliation? And what prevents us, in all 
our dealings and relations with Superiors, compan- 
ions, pupils, and outsiders, from making ourselves, 
in very truth, their humble and devoted servants? 
Oh ! if we only knew how rapidly this would advance 
us in the sweet familiarity of Jesus, how anxious we 
should be not to miss a single of these golden oppor- 
tunities ! 

She bathes the feet of Christ with her tears. O 
blessed tears of contrite love! I too should shed 
them oftener, if I realized better the ingrajtitude and 
malice of worldliness and sin, especially in a Kelig- 
ious who has been so highly favored by Heaven, has 
been the object of such wonderful predilection on the 
part of God, and is still being loved by Jesus with 
such extraordinary preference and such tender solici- 
tude, in spite of all my shortcomings and infidelities. 
Oh, could I only blot out my whole wicked past with 
floods of burning tears! But if I cannot weep out- 
wardly in humble prayer, at least inwardly my heart 
should bleed with deep contrition, and if my eyes 



CONVERSION OF MARY MAGDALEN 241 

yield no tears of penitent love, my body should bear 
the marks of sharp atonement. 

As her tears fall more abundantly on the feet of 
our Lord, she strives to wipe them away, again and 
again, with her long, flowing hair. It was the sym- 
bolic dedication to Jesus of all she held most dear, 
of her entire person. That which had been the object 
of so much care, and the subject of so much vanity, 
and perhaps the means of gaining so much unlawful 
affection, now she turns to the most lowly and repug- 
nant use, namely, that of wiping the dust and mois- 
ture from the feet of a guest treated with such scant 
courtesy by the master of the house, Simon. Oh! 
but what use could, in reality, be more noble and 
glorious than this : to cleanse and comfort the sacred 
feet of Jesus, the All-Beautiful, the Son of the 
Eternal God! What have I got to dedicate to the 
Personal Service of my Lord and Savior? I have 
my limbs, my senses, my strength, my faculties, my 
talents, and these I will, henceforth, consecrate en- 
tirely to Him. But above everything else He wants 
all my affections, my whole and undivided heart. 

Then she kisses the feet of Jesus. Contrition, 
humility, confidence, and love, are all inseparable. 
If we wish to love our Lord ardently, if we desire to 
taste at times the wonderful effects of Divine Charity, 
let us ever be intent on humbling ourselves sincerely, 
inwardly before Him and outwardly before all those 
who represent Him, not only our betters and our 
equals, but especially the haughty, the insolent, and 
the unsympathetic, the ignorant, the helpless, and the 
sinful. What greater happiness on earth than, for 
the sake of Jesus generously to embrace poverty, pri- 
vation, weariness, pain, neglect, and contempt. Ac- 
cordingly, she kisses only His feet; for even in the 



242 SIXTH DAY 

expression of our love we must be humble, waiting 
for the blissful moment when our Heavenly Lord will 
deign to admit our soul to the holy intimacy of a 
Spouse. Yet she actually covers them with her 
kisses. So should we ever be animated with child- 
like fervor, never ceasing to testify our affection to 
Jesus by a thousand little practices of self-denial, 
self-conquest, and self -abjection. Besides, every ex- 
terior action, done thoughtfully and deliberately, in- 
tensifies our interior disposition. 

Lastly, Mary pours out the fragrant contents of 
the alabaster vial. It was probably a souvenir of 
some former acquaintance, an object, besides, which 
she had prized very highly for its own intrinsic value. 
But these are the very reasons why now she longs to 
make of it a complete holocaust to her Divine Master, 
in atonement for her past faults, in token of her de- 
tachment from created goods, and in recognition of 
His supreme Excellence and Loveliness. So should 
we ever strive to make to our Heavenly Spouse the 
generous sacrifice of every natural inclination or aver- 
sion, the unreserved offering of every object toward 
which we feel some undue attraction, the total renun- 
ciation of everything except His grace and His love. 
How sweet-scented an oblation this would add to the 
priceless immolation of Himself in Holy Mass! 
Only when every creature shall thus have been turned 
out of our soul, will Jesus be able to dwell in it as 
our only Good, our All. Oh ! why should we ever hesi- 
tate to make such an advantageous exchange, of the 
Infinite, Eternal, All-Beautiful Creator, for a finite, 
perishable, and shadowy creature? 

Third Point. Words. — Our Lord defends, con- 
soles, and dismisses Mary Magdalen. 



CONVERSION OF MARY MAGDALEN 243 

All this while the Master, filled with the tenderest 
compassion, had allowed Magdalen thus to manifest 
her faith, her contrition, and her love. But Simon, 
the Pharisee, did not understand how a prophet, a 
holy man, could permit himself to be approached and 
touched by a sinful woman. In fact, his soul was 
too full of indignation to allow him to speak, but he 
had silently come to the conclusion that Jesus could, 
after all, not be the true Messias. Any dislike or 
disesteem we may feel towards others, on account of 
their vices or defects, comes not from Grace but from 
Nature, not from God but from Satan; and hence 
its immediate effect on our soul is to darken the light 
of the understanding and to extinguish the fervor 
of the will. Our Lord, by kindly manifesting that 
He knew what was going on in the mind and heart of 
Simon, gave him a delicate but powerful confirma- 
tion of His own Holiness and Divinity. How gentle 
are all the ways of our Dear Savior! How do I 
proceed in the exercise of works of zeal? in striving 
to correct the mistaken notions of non-Catholics or 
in endeavoring to recall sinners to the practice of 
their religion? 

But Jesus also wished to bring His host to an 
acknowledgment of his inferiority as compared with 
this notorious woman, and thus to cure his pride. 
So our Lord called the attention of Simon to the fact, 
that the various acts of service and kindness which he 
as host should have shown to his invited guest, had 
been performed most lovingly and lavishly by this 
repentant sinner, whom he despised on account of her 
past misconduct. " Simon, do you see this woman? 
When I entered your house, you gave me no water 
for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her 
tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me 



244 SIXTH DAY 

no kiss, but she, since she came in, has not ceased to 
kiss my feet. You did not refresh my head with 
perfume, but she has poured attar over my feet." 
And then Jesus drew, from this different behavior, a 
most remarkable conclusion. " Hence, I tell you, 
many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved 
much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loves less." 
She had committed many sins, no doubt, but they 
were now forgiven her completely, not only as to the 
guilt but also as to their temporal punishment and 
their moral effects on the soul. In fact, who can 
doubt that Mary Magdalen by her contrition had 
obtained pardon of the guilt even before she entered 
the dining-room? But now, on account of the deep 
humility and the great love she has shown, the tem- 
poral punishment also is remitted and the moral con- 
sequences are destroyed; all the evil is entirely 
undone, canceled, and obliterated. Not so, however, 
with Simon. For though the sins he had committed 
are fewer, yet they are not forgiven him completely, 
because he has loved less. Consequently, Simon is 
now actually more sinful than Magdalen. Thus it 
may also happen among Religious, that those who are 
conscious of grievous faults committed in the past, 
show greater generosity and fervor than others who 
were preserved, by a most extraordinary mercy and 
a most gratuitous predilection on the part of God, 
from falling into mortal sin; so that the former are 
now more pure and holy than the latter. Let us 
examine ourselves, whether we are like Magdalen or 
like Simon, or perhaps like neither, inasmuch as hav- 
ing led very foolish and wicked lives before in the 
World, we are still leading very imperfect and tepid 
lives at present in Religion. 

But we should also learn from this incident, that 



CONVERSION OF MARY MAGDALEN 245 

even our former infidelities may greatly help us to 
advance in humility and charity. At any rate, what- 
ever may have been our past, let us act, henceforth, 
in such a way as soon to receive from our Divine 
Lord the sweet assurance of His complete pardon: 
" Thy sins, my child, are forgiven thee." We have 
to get it anyhow before we can enter Heaven; why, 
then, not strive to get it while yet on earth? O 
blissful moment! let us make the firm resolve to 
hasten its arrival by our constant longing, by our 
unremitting fervor. 

These last words of our Lord made some of the 
invited guests wonder, because they still lacked Faith 
in His Divinity. Faith is the foundation of all super- 
natural virtue. Hence our Blessed Savior turning 
once more to Mary Magdalen, who was still kneeling 
at His feet in humble contrition and grateful love, 
said, " Thy faith has saved thee, go in peace." Thus 
also in our own case, if we wish to become holy and 
perfect, we must strive to actuate, practise, and in- 
crease our Faith; seeing God in the Holy Eucharist, 
in our Superiors, in our Rules, in our companions, 
in our pupils, in all men, in all creatures, and in all 
the workings of Providence. Unless a Religious 
labors to lead a life of faith, a life every moment of 
which is animated and energized by faith, — not 
governed by natural likes and dislikes, not shaped by 
foolish whims and impulses, — he will ever be in dan- 
ger of losing his Vocation. But above all let us 
ponder on the goodness of Jesus towards Mary Mag- 
dalen, when He told her, " Go in peace." For the 
words of God effect what they signify, and the peace 
of the Lord surpasses all understanding. 

Colloquy with St. Mary Magdalen, and with our 



246 SIXTH DAY 

Divine Savior. We will beg this Holy Penitent to 
obtain for us the grace of never ceasing to shed tears 
and to do penance for our many sins, of eagerly avail- 
ing ourselves of every opportunity to humble our 
pride and mortify our senses, and of employing each 
moment of our existence to accumulate at the feet of 
Jesus the practical tokens of our love. Then we will, 
after her example, prostrate ourselves before our 
Adorable Master and conjure Him, by all He has 
done and suffered for us, to render also us deserving 
of His complete pardon and to grant us likewise the 
favor of accompanying Him daily, through the whole 
course of His bitter Passion, even to His Death on 
the Cross. — Our Father. 



THE THREE DEGREES OF HUMILITY 

Introductory Remarks. — In this Exercise St. Igna- 
tius puts before us the only really safe disposition 
for ever acting, henceforth, in full accordance with 
the Holy Will of God, and no longer being led astray 
by the impulse of passion or by the cunning of Satan. 
This disposition, which he calls the Third Degree of 
Humility, he shows to consist in a fixed determination 
to imitate as closely as possible Jesus Christ Cruci- 
fied; and his main purpose, consequently, is to make 
us strive, by prayer and practice, for the acquisition 
of so momentous a grace. This magnanimous dispo- 
sition, in fact, embraces all that is most perfect; it 
embodies the genuine doctrine of the Saints; and it 
marks the climax of the Spiritual Exercises. 

Throughout this Meditation, Humility is con- 
sidered, not as a passing act, but as a habitual dispo- 
sition, a supernatural virtue, in three successive 
stages of development, initial, advanced, and final. 
In so far as every habit, whether good or bad, may be 
more or less firm, it goes without saying that each of 
these three stages, modes, or Degrees of Humility, 
admits of an unlimited number of gradations. 

Another point to be noted is this. Since Humility 
is by definition a virtue that makes us take our proper 
place with regard to God and whatever represents 
God, it consequently causes us to shape all our 
thoughts, desires, and actions, in entire conformity 
with the Divine Will, as manifested by Command- 
ments, Superiors, Rules, jCircumstances, and Inspira- 



248 SIXTH DAY 

tions ; nay, more than this, it renders us docile to the 
Teachings and Counsels of Christ our Lord, and eager 
to imitate and resemble Him, our Adorable Savior, 
not only inwardly but also outwardly, by actually 
welcoming, for His love and reverence, poverty, suf- 
fering and contempt. Now, in explaining the Three 
Degrees of Humility, St. Ignatius takes the virtue, 
not in its primary sense, but in this secondary or de- 
rived meaning. 

Evidently, it is only after one has acquired to 
some extent the more obvious and less difficult De- 
grees of Humility, that he can begin to appreciate 
and practise the highest Degree, which transforms the 
soul truly into a living image of Jesus Crucified. 
But since Religious, by the grace of God, are resolved 
to strive after real Holiness, and by the Vows have 
entered the State of Perfection, they are without ex- 
ception positively called to this Third Degree of Hu- 
mility. 

Subject of this Meditation. — The three Degrees of 
Humility. 

Composition of Place. — To see myself standing be- 
fore God our Lord and all His Saints, that I may 
desire and know what is most pleasing to His Divine 
Goodness. 

Petition. — Light to understand thoroughly and 
strength to practise generously the doctrine of the 
Saints, as contained in the Third Degree of Humility. 

First Point. In What the Three Degrees of Hu- 
mility Consist. 

" The First Degree of Humility," says St. Ignatius, 
" is necessary for eternal salvation. It consists in 



THE THREE DEGREES OF HUMILITY 249 

submitting and humbling myself, as far as I can, in 
all things to obey the law of God our Lord, so that 
even to secure the possession of this whole earth or 
to save my own temporal life, I would not enter into 
deliberation about breaking a commandment that 
binds me under mortal sin." This disposition im- 
plies an intense abhorrence of Mortal Sin, such as 
ought to have been conceived in the First Week and 
intensified all along in the Second. But even so, a 
person in this First Degree of Humility being mainly 
actuated by fear, may sometimes give way under the 
onset of passion or the stress of temptation, and hence, 
unless he strives to advance to something higher, his 
Salvation still remains very uncertain. As yet he has 
acquired only the lowest degree of spiritual poverty 
and obscurity. 

" The Second Degree of Humility," says St. Igna- 
tius, "is more perfect than the first. It consists in 
finding myself in such a state as in no wise to be more 
inclined towards riches than towards poverty, or to 
be more desirous of honor than of dishonor, or to 
prefer a long life to an early death, when the service 
of God our Lord and the salvation of my immortal 
soul are equal ; and, consequently, never to enter into 
deliberation about committing a venial sin, not even 
for the sake of the whole world or for the avoidance 
of a most painful and shameful end." This disposi- 
tion evidently supposes that one has so completely 
mortified his unruly passions as to be totally Indif- 
ferent to plenty or privation, to esteem or contempt, 
to health or sickness, and so forth; in other words, 
that one has humbled himself so thoroughly and 
conformed himself so entirely to the Holy Will of God, 
as habitually to shun every Inordination and effec- 
tually to minimize the danger of Venial Sin. It is 



250 SIXTH DAY 

this intense horror of Venial Sin and Positive Inor- 
dination which we labored to obtain already in the 
First Week and afterwards strove to strengthen 
throughout the Second Week. Evidently this Second 
Degree of Humility postulates a correspondingly high 
degree of spiritual poverty and obscurity, and indi- 
cates a considerable progress towards real Holiness. 
The main motive is no longer fear but justice. Yet, 
owing to our extreme weakness and fickleness, even 
this Second Degree by no means eliminates all un- 
certainty of Salvation; and hence we eagerly pass 
on to the consideration of something still more noble 
and arduous. 

" The Third Degree of Humility ," says St. Ignatius, 
" is the most perfect. Including the First and Second 
Degrees, it consists in my being habitually so dis- 
posed that whenever equal praise and glory will ac- 
crue to the Divine Majesty, in order to imitate more 
closely Christ our Lord and to become actually more 
like to Him, I desire and embrace poverty and con- 
tempt, with Christ poor and contemned for my sake, 
rather than riches and honors, and I choose to be 
deemed useless and foolish in this world for the love 
of Christ, Who was first held to be such on my ac- 
count, rather than to be considered wise and prudent." 
Here we view the very summit of Evangelical Perfec- 
tion : " If thou wilt be perfect, take up thy cross 
daily and come follow Me." Here we also discover 
the highest degree of spiritual poverty and obscurity. 
Humility seems now only another aspect of Charity. 
For the predominant motive by which a soul is sus- 
tained in the practice of this Third Degree is an 
ardent personal love of Christ Crucified. She longs 
to share in His hunger, His thirst, His poverty, His 
obscurity, His torments, His insults, His abandon- 



THE THREE DEGREES OF HUMILITY 251 

ment, and His death, provided only she does not go 
counter to the Divine Will. Nothing can keep her 
from embracing on every occasion the Cross of Suf- 
fering and Contempt except the knowledge that such 
a course would be detrimental to the Glory of her 
Savior and her God. However, though the strongest 
impulse is supplied by love, other motives are by no 
means excluded. Hence, in our endeavors to acquire 
the Third Degree of Humility, we may be greatly as- 
sisted by the desire of canceling our debt of temporal 
punishment, of destroying the moral stains left on 
our souls by past sins, of becoming efficient instru- 
ments in saving and sanctifying our neighbor; for 
thus also, surely, we shall better imitate Christ our 
Lord and more closely resemble Him in His Inno- 
cence, His Holiness, and His Zeal. 

Second Point. How the Successive Degrees of 
Humility are Mutually Related. 

We may begin by asking ourselves what would be 
the import of the Zero Degree of Humility. It would 
denote the state of a soul in which the restless crav- 
ings for riches, pleasures, and honors, hold absolute 
sway, without any fear of God, or any sense of duty, 
or any love of Christ, to keep them within bounds. 
This, therefore, is the Degree of the Genuine World- 
ling; whose every thought and desire is bent on self- 
aggrandizement, self-indulgence, self-worship; whose 
heart is wholly taken up with food and drink, exercise 
and amusement, business and sport, politics and in- 
trigues. Is my habitual condition in any way akin 
to this? 

In the First Degree, these unruly tendencies, though 
not yet completely controlled, are already somewhat 
checked by reason and faith. Hence, in this state of 



252 SIXTH DAY 

the soul, mortal sin, but not venial, is at least habit- 
ually excluded. It is, consequently, more or less the 
Degree of the Ordinary Christian. 

In the Second Degree, the earthly inclinations of 
our corrupt nature are exactly counterbalanced by 
the opposite effects of supernatural grace. The soul, 
therefore, is theoretically in a moral equilibrium 
which, as long as it is not disturbed, prevents her from 
falling into inordination and sin. Practically, no one 
can keep himself so nicely balanced; but making due 
allowances for human instability, we may call it the 
Degree of the Fervent Catholic. 

Lastly, in the Third Degree, the love of Christ 
Crucified has taken complete possession of the soul, 
so that its inordinate leanings towards wealth, en- 
joyment, and distinction, are now entirely outbal- 
anced by the contrary aspirations to share in the 
privations, afflictions, and insults of the Son of God. 
Such a soul is just as eager for opportunities of morti- 
fication and humiliation, as the worldling is for oc- 
casions of gratifying his sensuality and pride; and 
hence what is despised and abhorred by the one is 
esteemed and embraced by the other. " The world is 
crucified to me and I to the world." This, evidently, 
is the Degree of the Saint. 

To sum up, then, the Zero Degree is the habitual 
state of Sin, the First Degree is the habitual state of 
Grace, the Second Degree is the habitual state of 
Fervor, and the Third Degree is the habitual state of 
Heroism. 

Third Point. Every Religious Should in dead 
Earnest Take Up the Practice of the Third Degree 
of Humility. 

To look upon the Third Degree of Humility as 



THE THREE DEGREES OP HUMILITY 253 

something fanciful, visionary, or ideal, not intended 
to be practised and mastered by the chosen followers 
of Christ our King, by those who have embraced the 
Evangelical Counsels, would stand on a par with re- 
moving the Crucifix from the churches, schools, and 
homes, as was done by the so-called Reformed Chris- 
tians of the Sixteenth Century. The Third Degree is 
just as appropriate and indispensable for a Religious, 
as the Crucifix is for a Christian. A Crucifix should 
not merely be a work of art made for exhibition in a 
museum, and so the Third Degree should not merely 
be an interesting speculation, a piece of sublime per- 
fection reserved for Canonized Saints. Let it be 
clearly understood, however, that there is no question 
of longing for poverty, obscurity, pain, and contempt 
in themselves, or of praying for afflictions and hu- 
miliations for their own sakes. In fact, this would 
hardly be possible, since we cannot desire what we 
necessarily fear and shun, but even if it were possible, 
there would be neither profit nor merit in such un- 
natural self-hatred. But we should long and pray for 
these things, inasmuch as Christ our Lord bore them 
for love of us and on our account. As such we 
should eagerly embrace them in spirit ; but even then 
we have no business to embrace them in reality, unless 
they come to us through Holy Obedience, from Divine 
Providence, or with the recommendation and ap- 
proval of our Rules, Customs, or Confessors. 

Again, it is very needful in this matter, to set aside 
all fictitious pictures and empty fears. When we 
pray for temporal favors, do we expect that God will 
right away lavish on us all the wealth of the world? 
Of course not. In fact, we always pray to Him with 
the implicit condition, " as far as it may promote our 
real well-being" or "provided it will tend to Thy 



254 SIXTH DAY 

greater glory." Hence we must not imagine that in 
consequence of our prayer for suffering and contempt, 
God will suddenly overwhelm us with an avalanche 
of affliction. Since to suffer with Christ and for 
Christ is the greatest of all blessings, the most pre- 
cious of all favors, we may, on the one hand, rest as- 
sured that it will be bestowed upon us only in a 
limited measure, and that we shall have to correspond 
earnestly and pray ardently before we get any more. 
On the other hand, "God is faithful." In His 
fatherly Love and tender Solicitude, He will never 
allow any affliction to befall us, without giving us 
also abundant grace to bear it patiently and gener- 
ously. Unfortunately, to many men the indispens- 
able trials of their earthly existence come as bitter 
remedies; and not a few, having utterly neglected to 
make the necessary preparation, bear them reluctantly, 
impatiently, and sinfully. But to faithful and fervent 
souls, these same trials come as the extraordinary dis- 
tinctions, the loving caresses of their Heavenly Spouse, 
which fill them with the deepest peace and sweetest 
happiness. 

Indeed it is difficult to see how any person can 
truly love Christ our Lord without sincerely wishing 
and ardently praying to suffer with Him and for Him. 
If I realize who I am, a despicable sinner, and Who 
Christ is, the All-Holy Creator, how could I ever 
cease longing and striving to be treated and afflicted 
after the manner He was treated and afflicted for love 
of me, and in expiation of my numerous and shame- 
ful offenses, committed precisely against Him? Sup- 
pose I had a dear friend, lying dangerously ill and 
suffering excruciating pain, or unjustly cast into 
prison and inhumanly tortured, could I meanwhile 
go and enjoy myself? But if he should undergo all 



THE THREE DEGREES OF HUMILITY 255 

those afflictions through my fault, and to ward off 
from me the just punishment of my perfidious crimes, 
perpetrated against his own fair name, against his 
very life, and I had still left in me any remnant of 
gratitude, one spark of human affection, what else 
could I do but spend night and day in tears and 
groans, amid every kind of discomfort and every mark 
of contempt? Yet, in the actual case, we have not 
two human beings more or less equal, but the Lord of 
Infinite Majesty and a mere sinful nothing. 

Therefore, if we really wish to advance in the love 
of Jesus, our God and Savior, let us daily, with great 
confidence, beg for the Third Degree of Humility, for 
the grace of sharing in His Cross. Union with 
Christ Crucified, is the ultimate goal of our Vocation 
on earth, the means most conducive to the Divine 
Glory, the highest form of true devotion to the Sacred 
Heart, the most indispensable preparation for a fruit- 
ful Apostolate. Two kinds of acts will infallibly lead 
us to this habitual union : Prayer and Practice. We 
must begin by sincerely and earnestly begging for 
suffering and contempt, in order to become more like 
to our Divine Master, Who willingly bore even the 
most poignant ingratitude and the most revolting 
injustice and the most cruel torments and the most 
bitter outrages for love of us, in our behalf and on 
our account. In the next place, we must strive to 
accept joyfully every opportunity of mortification 
and humiliation, in hunger and thirst, heat and cold, 
ailments and accidents, reproofs and penances, dis- 
appointments and misunderstandings, slights and in- 
sults, or anything else from which we naturally 
shrink and flee, whether it come to us in the observ- 
ance of our Rules, or in the discharge of our Duties, 
or through the disposal of Providence, or through the 



256 SIXTH DAY 

action of Superiors, or with the permission of our 
Confessor, or from the thoughtlessness of our fellow 
Religious, or by the malice of our Enemies. And if 
our repugnance seems too strong to master, we must 
not cease imploring the help of grace till we are 
heard. Thus little by little, in spite of many fail- 
ures, notwithstanding our utter weakness, by dint of 
prayer and practice, we shall acquire that habitual 
union with Christ Crucified, in which consists the 
Third Degree of Humility. This, then, is to be our 
resolution for the future; but, as to the past, we 
should stir up in our hearts feelings of lively shame 
and deep regret for having misused so many valuable 
opportunities of sharing in the Cross, when we were 
impatient under affliction or resentful under humilia- 
tion. We should also examine whether we have sin- 
cerely forgiven all those who were in any way the 
cause of these trials, and whether we are now 
animated towards them, precisely for that reason, 
with affectionate gratitude, often beseeching God our 
Lord to shower down upon them in return, His 
choicest gifts and graces. 

Colloquy. — At the conclusion of this important 
Exercise, St. Ignatius advises us again to address a 
Triple Colloquy to the Blessed Virgin, to Christ our 
Redeemer, and to the Eternal Father. Let us make 
it with the utmost fervor and generosity of which we 
may be capable under the action of the Holy Spirit, 
remembering that the Third Degree of Humility is 
the most precious grace with which the soul can be 
enriched during her probation for Heaven. 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST 

Emmanuel, God-with-us, that is the Holy Eu- 
charist. Hence it is the life and center of the Catholic 
Church, the sum and substance of the Christian Re- 
ligion, the pledge and prelude of the everlasting Bliss 
of Heaven. 

The Real Presence. 

Who is present in this tabernacle? Jesus Christ, 
the Second Person of the Ever-Blessed Trinity, true 
God and true Man, born at Bethlehem some nineteen 
hundred and fifteen years ago, of the Immaculate 
Virgin Mary. He is present here with that very 
Body which was scourged and crucified for my sins, 
with that same Blood which was shed for love of me, 
with that identical Soul which was crushed under 
intolerable anguish in the garden of Gethsemane, with 
that incommunicable Personality which is ever receiv- 
ing the loving adoration of myriads of celestial 
Spirits. He is here, my Creator and my Redeemer, 
my Sovereign Lord and my Supreme Judge, my 
Heavenly King and my Eternal Spouse, hidden under 
the appearances of bread and wine; His Sacred Hu- 
manity being present, after the manner our soul is 
in the body, whole and entire in every part of the 
consecrated Host. I do not understand this, but I 
know it to be a fact with far greater certainty than if 
I did grasp it fully with my own mind, because I be- 
lieve it on the word of God Himself, conveyed to me 



258 SIXTH DAY 

by His Holy, Apostolic, and Infallible Church. But 
do I sufficiently realize this wonderful mystery, do I 
strive to bring home to myself what my faith teaches, 
so that this supernatural conviction may sanctify my 
entire conduct and inflame my soul with the most 
ardent devotion? Do I recognize how it is His per- 
sonal love for me that causes Him to abide here with 
me in the tabernacle? 

I am, then, continually living under the same roof 
with the God of Infinite Majesty and Holiness. What 
a privilege! What person in the world, be he ever 
so pious and virtuous, enjoys such happiness? This 
is truly the House of God, not merely inasmuch as it 
is dedicated to His special Service, not simply because 
it is owned by nobody except by His supreme Vicar, 
but also, in the far truer sense, that He has fixed 
here His personal and permanent Abode. Oh! how 
pure and holy ought to be this House of God, how 
careful we ought to shun every sin, every inordina- 
tion even, in the immediate presence of this infinitely 
Perfect and Loving Master ! How can we presume to 
profane these Sacred Precincts, to insult this most 
Gracious Lord, by yielding voluntarily to our base 
passions, to self-love, self-complacency, self-worship, 
faultfinding, aversion, envy, impatience, sensuality, 
or sloth? Oh! how much more hateful and shameful 
sin appears in a Keligious, living as he does night 
and day in the actual company of this Adorable 
Friend, to Whom he has sworn everlasting fidelity! 
Is this the w r ay we repay the measureless love and 
ineffable condescension of our Great God? If our 
passions are strong and our temptations importunate, 
is He not here purposely to assist us in our trials, to 
defend us against our assailants, and to give us the 
victory over all our enemies? 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST 259 

Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 

We know all this, and yet, such is our lukewarm- 
ness, such our ingratitude, that it is too much for us 
to take now and then a few minutes from our favorite 
occupations, to go and speak to this Loving Master 
and expose to Him our many miseries and obtain the 
countless graces He is so desirous of pouring out on 
our souls. Some Religious have plenty of time for 
taking exercise, for recreative reading, for unneces- 
sary conversation ; in fact, they have time for almost 
anything and everything except for making now and 
then an extra Visit to our Lord in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment. Have we at least settled on a certain number 
of extra Visits? At what hours of the day? And 
are we faithful to these resolutions? When in bodily 
suffering, in mental distress, or in spiritual desola- 
tion, do we ever think of having special recourse to 
our Divine Consoler? Oh! think of the pain we give 
Him by this coldness and forgetfulness. Let us not 
measure the fathomless love of Jesus by our own 
shallow affection. His Sacred Heart is ever con- 
sumed with an unspeakable longing for our happi- 
ness here no less than hereafter. But He knows that 
happiness is inseparable from holiness. It is because 
He wants us to be happy, constantly happy, intensely 
happy, that He desires to make us holy and yearns 
for us to come to Him, the Only and Inexhaustible 
Source of all Holiness and Happiness. 

But even at the ordinary Visits, made in common, 
how many distractions we indulge in and how little 
we seem to appreciate what we are doing! Those 
few precious moments, during which we might treas- 
ure up so much light and strength, so much solid con- 
solation and heavenly joy, pass not seldom like a 
dream, and it is only when we get up from our knees 



260 SIXTH DAY 

that we realize where we are. Oh, could we but real- 
ize our loss! Is not our behavior sometimes such 
that it might be justly considered a worthless piece of 
routine, an act of sham adoration, a cruel insult? O 
infinite patience and meekness of the Heart of our 
Savior and our God ! How is it that Jesus can toler- 
ate all this from those who have come purposely to 
live with Him and to draw others to His service, 
from those who for years already profess themselves 
His faithful followers and devoted companions? 
Can we not possibly take some efficacious means, can 
we not adopt some suitable method, to prevent such 
irreverent conduct for the future? But no means nor 
method will prove of any lasting benefit, unless we 
cherish a personal Love for Jesus in the Holy Eu- 
charist. Love is the only infallible remedy. And 
genuine Love springs from a lively Faith. 

It is plain that the more profound our inward 
veneration is for the Adorable Sacrament, the more 
intense also will be our outward reverence in the 
chapel or sacristy, the more diligent our care of what- 
ever pertains to the altar or the tabernacle, and the 
more exact our observance of all liturgical prescrip- 
tions. In ornamenting the sanctuary we should avoid 
whatever savors of gaudiness or display, and rather 
strive to combine grave simplicity with substantial 
grandeur. Everything on or about the altar should 
be kept scrupulously neat and clean. Faded or 
wilted flowers should be promptly removed, even if 
no fresh ones can be supplied. But especially in the 
matter of music and singing, the authoritative direc- 
tions of the Holy See should be punctually and ener- 
getically carried out. It is sheer folly to think 
ourselves obedient, as long as, under any pretext 
whatever, we fail to comply with the express wishes, 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST 261 

nay, the positive injunctions of the Sovereign Pontiff. 
Where there is a will there is a way. Even if we can- 
not immediately carry out every prescription to the 
letter, we should at least make a start by doing all 
we can. 

Holy Communion. 

Our Divine Lord instituted the Blessed Sacrament 
not only to remain with us till the end of time, but 
also to renew, day after day and hour after hour, the 
holocaust He made of Himself on the Cross. This 
is another privilege of the Religious Life, to be able 
to assist every day at Holy Mass. Truly, an inesti- 
mable privilege ! For what is the Mass but the same 
offering that was made on Mount Calvary, of the same 
Victim and by the same Priest, Jesus Christ, the 
Incarnate Son of God? But while just as true and 
real a Sacrifice, it is unbloody and mystic. The Di- 
vine Victim, though substantially present, is no longer 
in the usual condition and the ordinary form of a 
mortal man, but under the foreign appearances of 
bread and wine. By His death on Calvary Jesus mer- 
ited infinite grace for all mankind, and this grace is 
applied to us individually in the Mass, especially 
through Holy Communion. Having consecrated our- 
selves anew, during that August Sacrifice, to the 
Adorable Will of God, God, on His part, never out- 
done in liberality, communicates Himself to us. As 
if His love could brook no delay, in expectation and 
in token of that fuller communication which He in- 
tends to make of Himself in Heaven, and by which we 
shall share in His own Infinite Beatitude, He longs to 
give Himself already now to us by anticipation in 
Holy Communion. " Lo ! the Divine Nourishment of 
the Blessed Angels has become the Food of Mortal 



262 SIXTH DAY 

Wayfarers. O wondrous fact! The poor and lowly 
servant feasts on his Lord." 

Our soul, then, is fed, so to speak, by Him Who 
becomes corporally present within us, our Adorable 
Savior. Just as common bread repairs, supports, and 
energizes the body, so this Heavenly Food, when re- 
ceived in due dispositions, refreshes, sustains, and 
inflames the soul, that is, the supernatural life of the 
soul, Sanctifying Grace. And as bread is trans- 
formed into our bodily substance, so we are trans- 
formed into Christ, the less noble into the more Noble. 
Transformed into Christ, so that we live by Him, in- 
asmuch as by mutual love He abideth in us and we 
abide in Him, His Will being our only pleasure and 
our will no other but His. This spiritual transforma- 
tion manifests itself by two special effects. One of 
these is to lessen and deaden in us that most danger- 
ous inclination, the cause of all our misery and cor- 
ruption, namely, our inordinate self-love and self- 
esteem, that monstrous pride which continually 
prompts us to rebel against God and to trample on 
our neighbor, that deep-rooted egoism which even here 
on earth can make our life a veritable hell. This 
effect is the healing grace of the Holy Eucharist. 
But there is another effect equally marked, which has 
been called its cheering grace and makes the soul 
break forth in vigorous and ardent acts of charity. 
Who is there amongst us that has not sometimes ex- 
perienced this sudden outburst of fervor after a medi- 
tation full of aridity and drowsiness? Both these 
effects, however, depend for their intensity on the 
earnestness with which we prepare to receive our 
Divine Guest, on our recollection of mind, on our 
detestation of sin, and on our detachment from crea- 
tures. 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST 263 

How great, then, should be our care in preparing 
for Holy Communion, both overnight and in the 
morning ! Overnight, before closing our eyes in sleep, 
we should call to mind once more the immense happi- 
ness, the priceless favor, that awaits us in the morn- 
ing, and with ardent desire anticipate the hour of 
rising. On awaking during the night our hearts 
should at once go back to our Sweet Prisoner in the 
tabernacle, Whose most Affectionate Heart is ever 
pleading for us with unabating solicitude and ten- 
derness. And in the morning, from the moment we 
hear the sound of the bell, rising immediately as at the 
voice of our Beloved, we should entertain no thought 
and form no desire, except to consecrate ourselves 
wholly to the service of our Divine Master, faithful to 
our resolution of living and breathing and laboring 
and suffering, only for love of Him, every moment of 
the day. This is of the highest importance if we wish 
to make a fervent and fruitful Communion ; namely, to 
banish promptly and energetically all anticipations 
and recollections, all projects and regrets, from the 
time we awake till we have concluded our thanksgiv- 
ing after Mass. On the other hand, how diligent we 
should be in renewing our determination to practise 
our Particular Examen, how careful too in observing 
all the so-called Additions, how energetic in applying 
our mind and heart to our Meditation, and how eager 
to assist at the Adorable Sacrifice ! 

And all the while, how we should long and sigh for 
the coming of our Dearest Lord, our Only Love! 
Yes, our Only Love, for this we have firmly settled 
long ago and forever, that Jesus shall be our Only 
Love, and that we will not love creatures, ourselves 
included, except for Him and in Him. But as the 
blessed moment draws near, oh! how fervently we 



264 SIXTH DAY 

shall repeat our humble protest that we will never 
again offend Him, never in the least displease Him, 
never deliberately violate any of our Rules, never wil- 
fully discard any wish of our Superiors, never admit 
even for an instant any impatient motion, any im- 
proper imagination, any uncharitable feeling, never 
hesitate one second to make any sacrifice that may be 
acceptable to Him. Not content, however, with our 
own weak endeavors, we shall earnestly implore our 
Holy Patrons and all the Glorious Saints, our Guard- 
ian Angel with the other Blissful Spirits, and con- 
jure our Heavenly Mother Mary, to come to our 
assistance, to join their burning supplications to our 
lukewarm prayers, to communicate to our hearts some 
of that profound humility and consuming love which 
unites them so intimately and so inseparably to God 
our Lord, to Jesus our Adorable Guest. Oh! could 
we but share in those perfect dispositions with which 
she, the Immaculate Virgin, awaited the coming of 
her Son and her Savior in the Holy Communion. 
With what modest gravity and intense devotion we 
would approach the altar, and how we would annihi- 
late ourselves, as it were, in adoration and love, at 
the moment He deigns to enter our wretched hearts. 
Thus we should strive to make every Communion as if 
it were both our first and our last, each time receiving 
our Divine Spouse with such contrition, gratitude, 
and affection, as to make up, in some degree, for all 
our past distractedness, tepidity, and irreverence. 

But as soon as we possess Him, let us adore, and 
love and thank with if possible still greater fervor, 
completely abandoning ourselves to the impulse of 
His grace. Next, let us beg with the utmost confi- 
dence for His favors. Is there anything He can re- 
fuse us, now that He has lowered Himself so infinitely 



THE HOLY EUCHARIST 265 

as to descend into our soul, that soul yet so terribly 
disfigured in consequence of its former slavery to the 
spirits of darkness? But while ever ready to follow 
the motion of grace, we should nevertheless on our 
part have some simple method to spend these precious 
minutes of sacramental union with our Adorable Mas- 
ter, in a manner most conducive to our own sanctifica- 
tion and His greater glory. Hence we should be thor- 
oughly familiar with a number of acts by which our 
soul can properly express her appreciation for the 
visit of so great a Guest. They should be made, not 
with the lips, but rather with the heart ; and if we find 
in them anywhere sufficient matter to occupy us in 
sweet converse with our Heavenly Spouse, let us delay 
there till we are fully satisfied. Acts of faith and 
adoration, of hope and gladness, of love and conse- 
cration, of contrition and reparation; acts of grati- 
tude also, inviting once more our Immaculate Mother, 
Mary, the Blessed Joseph, our Holy Angels and Pa- 
tron Saints, and the whole Court of Heaven, to help us 
in rendering thanks to our Divine Lord for His in- 
comparable mercy ; and lastly, acts of petition, recom- 
mending to His Sacred Heart, not only ourselves, but 
also our Superiors and fellow Religious ; our relatives, 
friends, and charges; the parish and its Pastor; the 
diocese, the clergy, and the Bishop; the universal 
Church and especially our Holy Father the Pope ; the 
conversion of sinners, the return of our separated 
brethren, the cessation of persecution, the success of 
foreign missions, the relief of the Souls in Purgatory. 
Some method like this may often prove very useful, 
yet we should never adhere to it so rigidly as to 
hamper or destroy the action of grace. 

St. Aloysius, being allowed as a rule to communi- 
cate only on Sundays, used to devote the first three 



266 SIXTH DAY 

days of the week to thanksgiving and the last three 
days to preparation. Since we are incomparably 
more privileged in being permitted Daily Communion, 
we should strive to keep thinking of our Adorable 
Visitor, with humble and loving gratitude, all during 
the morning hours, whilst during the latter half of the 
day, amidst our various occupations, we should begin 
to long and hunger for His next coming. This spir- 
itual appetite is, after all, the best preparation and 
the indispensable disposition for the reception of the 
Holy Eucharist, for the eating of this true Bread from 
Heaven. 



THE LAST SUPPER 

Introductory Remarks. — We now enter upon the 
Third Week of the Exercises. " While excluding joy- 
ful thoughts as of the Resurrection and of Heaven," 
says St. Ignatius, " I should strive to excite myself to 
sorrow, grief, and anguish, frequently recalling to 
mind the labors and afflictions which Christ our Lord 
bore from the moment of His Birth to the mystery of 
the Passion on which I am going to meditate." 

Subject of this Meditation. — Christ our Lord, hav- 
ing sent two of His Disciples from Bethany to Jeru- 
salem to prepare the Supper, went there Himself 
towards evening with the other Disciples, and, after 
washing their feet, gave them His most Holy Body 
and Precious Blood, speaking to them long and lov- 
ingly while Judas was gone to sell his Divine Master. 

Composition of Place. — The road from Bethany to 
Jerusalem, and also the supper-room or cenacle. 

Petition. — "To feel sorrow, affliction and confu- 
sion, because for my sins our Lord is going to His Pas- 
sion." — This confusion will dispose us to conceive 
greater grief and anguish in meditating afterwards on 
the principal events of the Passion. 

First Point. The Adorable Person of our Lord. 

While about to meditate on the Passion, we should 
consider not only what Christ is going to suffer but 
also what He wishes to suffer in His Sacred Human- 



268 SIXTH DAY 

ity. " With desire I have desired," — that is, I am 
consumed with desire, — He said to His Apostles as 
they were about to begin the legal supper, " to eat this 
Pasch with you, before I suffer." And already sev- 
eral months previously He had told them, u I have a 
baptism wherewith to be baptized and how I am 
straitened until it be accomplished." So great was 
this eagerness of the Sacred Heart that even in the 
midst of the most cruel torments He was ready to 
suffer more, if such could have been pleasing to His 
Heavenly Father or beneficial to us poor sinners. 
This, in fact, was the opportunity for which He had 
been longing ever since the first moment of His Incar- 
nation. This was the precious occasion of manifest- 
ing His gratitude to the Adorable Trinity for all the 
wonderful graces and favors lavished upon Him, as 
Man, with such incomparable liberality. This was 
the acceptable hour to satisfy the justice of Almighty 
God for all the countless offenses committed by man- 
kind, from the disobedience of our First Parents 
down to my own Personal Sins. This was the final 
conflict for delivering His brethren from the tyranny 
of Satan, from the slavery of their passions, from 
the awful danger of eternal damnation; and this the 
loving holocaust to merit for each of us all the 
graces we should need to advance in Holiness and to 
obtain everlasting Bliss. It is to this burning zeal of 
Jesus our Lord, it is to this vehement longing of His 
Sacred Heart, that I in particular owe my merciful 
preservation from the unquenchable flames of hell, — 
perhaps, even from the horrible guilt of mortal sin, — 
together with all the heavenly favors that have en- 
abled me, in spite of my many faults and my excessive 
weakness, to enter a Religious Institute and to em- 



THE LAST SUPPER 269 

brace the State of Perfection. Should not, then, also 
my heart be animated with a sincere desire, with an 
ardent longing to suffer with Christ and for Christ, 
in the accomplishment of the Divine Will, in my 
efforts to advance in Sanctity, in my labors for the 
benefit of my fellow men, in my practice of Prayer, 
Penance, Charity, and Obedience? 

" Consider also," says St. Ignatius, " how, during 
the Passion, the Divinity conceals Itself " ; — that is, 
how the Divine Personality, hypostatically united to 
the Sacred Humanity, could destroy the enemies of 
Christ yet does not do so, but on the contrary allows 
Him to suffer so cruelly. It is especially during the 
Passion that we fail to notice any manifestation of the 
Godhead ; no miracles, no transfiguration, no not even, 
perhaps, the habitual majesty in the personal appear- 
ance of Christ our Lord, which inspired all who be- 
held Him with respect and veneration. Why does the 
Divinity remain thus, as it were, hidden? It is out of 
delicate regard for the ardent wishes of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus. It is to give Him the long desired 
opportunity of showing His gratitude towards God 
and His charity towards sinners. It is also to give 
men a Supreme Model for their imitation in the trials 
and hardships of this present life, that they may learn 
how they can best thank their Heavenly Father for 
His Singular Predilection by their loving obedience to 
His Adorable Will. Only the intimate union exist- 
ing between the Divinity and the Humanity in the 
Person of Christ our Lord, can explain this admirable 
condescension, this temporary concealment. Conse- 
quently, how completely mistaken we are if in our suf- 
ferings or temptations or tribulations, from whatever 
source they may arise, we get discouraged and dis- 



270 SIXTH DAY 

heartened because God does not immediately and man- 
ifestly come to our assistance, either by checking those 
who afflict us or at least by making us feel His sensible 
Presence. He will assuredly do so in His own good 
time, but meanwhile concealing Himself, as it were, 
He enables us by His grace to bear our afflictions with 
patience and even with joy, and makes us see in them 
a precious opportunity to atone for our sins, to prac- 
tise virtue, to accomplish something for the sanctifica- 
tion and salvation of souls, and to acquire another 
trait of resemblance to our Crucified Lord and Savior. 
Lastly, I should consider that He is going to suffer 
all these tortures and all these insults for my Sins, 
and consequently what I in turn ought to do and to 
suffer for Him. Of all the aspects of the Sacred Pas- 
sion this surely is the most wonderful, that He, the 
Holy One, the Son of God, the Lord of Infinite 
Majesty, should suffer such extremes of pain and 
anguish and ignominy, in order that I, His rebellious 
creature, might not be condemned to that everlasting 
torment and infamy which I had so justly and so 
often merited by my iniquities. This, indeed, sur- 
passes all created understanding; this should cause 
me to die of shame and grief and love. How could I 
ever bewail and detest my Sins sufficiently? Have 
I done so in the past? Must I not, at least, begin to 
do so now? And what labors ought I not to under- 
take for Him, or rather what afflictions ought I not 
to bear for Him in return? Is there any duty that 
could be too hard for me, in view of such amazing 
love? No, indeed; nor can I rest satisfied with mere 
exertion of body or mind however strenuous ; I must 
suffer for Him, and suffer for Him all I can, never 
saying enough, but even when at its worst exclaiming, 
" More suffering, O Lord, and more love ! " 



THE LAST SUPPER 271 

Second Point. The Words of Our Lord. 

At the Last Supper, our Adorable Savior exhorted 
His Apostles repeatedly to mutual Charity, and then 
solemnly implored His Heavenly Father to bestow 
upon them the grace of perfect Union. " I give you 
a new commandment/' He said, " that you love one 
another, as I have loved you, that you also love 
one another. By this shall all men know that you are 
My disciples, if you have love one for another." 
(John 13:34-35.) Again He said, " This is My com- 
mandment that you love one another as I have loved 
you. Greater love than this no man hath than that he 
lay down his life for his friend. You are My friends, 
if you do the things that I command you." (John 
15:12-14.) And lastly, " I pray that they all may be 
one as Thou, Father, in Me and I in Thee, that they 
also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe 
that Thou hast sent Me." (John 17:20-21.) The 
practice of Fraternal Charity, the imitation of the 
most Loving Heart of Jesus, that is after all to be the 
distinguishing mark of every true Christian and, con- 
sequently, the chief virtue of every sincere Religious. 
While, on the one hand, it is precisely in the ceaseless 
exercise of Fraternal Charity that we shall find the 
opportunity and the grace of bearing fatigue, hard- 
ship, anguish, and contempt for the sake of our Divine 
Lord ; so, on the other hand, the more eagerly we em- 
brace poverty, suffering, and humility, the more faith- 
fully also we shall comply with this farewell com- 
mandment of our Adorable Master: to love one an- 
other even as He has loved us, ready to sacrifice not 
only our convenience, our time, our rest, our health, 
but even our very life, for the good of our neighbor. 
Yet we must bear in mind that the love which con- 
sumes the Sacred Heart of Jesus is Supernatural 



272 SIXTH DAY 

Charity, Apostolic Charity, Zeal for Souls. In the 
midst of our works of mercy, corporal and spiritual, 
we must never lose sight of our ultimate object: to 
free souls from the slavery of Satan, from the corrup- 
tion of sin, from the darkness of unbelief, from the 
seduction of the world, from the danger of eternal 
perdition; to bring them to the knowledge, love, and 
service of God our Lord here on earth, and thus to the 
enjoyment of everlasting Bliss in Heaven. 

Third Point. The Actions of our Lord. 

Washing of the Feet. — What a wonderful spectacle 
of humility and love: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 
in the attitude of a slave, kneeling at the feet of His 
Apostles and rendering them this lowly service with 
the tenderest affection. The Almighty Creator 
washes the feet of His sinful creatures. Can we 
ever admire this sufficiently? Oh! if Jesus, my 
Savior and my God were thus to come to me, what 
would be my confusion on seeing Him about to per- 
form so loving and lowly a service for a being so 
wretched and so vile. Would I not exclaim with 
Peter: " Lord, dost Thou wash my feet? Thou shalt 
never wash my feet." Yet this is precisely what our 
Divine Master does for me day after day. For who 
else but God serves me in my manifold helplessness 
and attends to my numerous needs? It is true, He 
does so through other men, through my fellow Re- 
ligious, through my Superiors, but does He, therefore, 
do it less Himself? Does He not give them the fac- 
ulty of rendering me service, out of pure affection for 
me? Does He not actually cooperate with them in 
these acts of humility and charity? Or does He per- 
haps serve me less, because He deigns to associate 
with Himself instruments that derive all their effi- 



THE LAST SUPPER 273 

ciency from Him alone, and deigns to employ them not 
from any need on His part, but from sheer liberal- 
ity, that they may share in His Divine slavery of 
love? Hence, on the one hand, what should not be 
my interior confusion on receiving such services, — 
for admit them I must no less than Peter, if I wish 
to remain in the friendship of our Lord, — and, on 
the other hand, how eagerly I should seize every op- 
portunity of serving my Companions, my fellow men, 
while holding myself utterly unworthy of such an 
honor. Indeed, how Divine it is to serve, and how 
Human it is to be served. To serve is the privilege 
of the more godlike in strength and goodness, to be 
served is the lot of the weak and helpless. Whatever 
gifts were bestowed upon me by God my Creator and 
Lord, natural or supernatural, were intended not 
simply for my own private benefit, but more especially 
for the service of my brethren. " I have given you an 
example," said our Adorable Savior after performing 
His lowly task, " that as I have done to you, so you 
do also. If then I being your Lord and Master have 
washed your feet; you also ought to wash one an- 
other's feet." Humility, humility! when shall we 
grasp its paramount importance, when shall we give 
ourselves to its earnest practice? Only thus shall we 
be able to love one another, even as Christ has loved 
us ; only thus can we all be one, even as He is one with 
His Eternal Father. 

Institution of the Holy Eucharist. — "As He had 
loved His own," says St. John, " He loved them to 
the end " ; that is, He loved them so as to exhaust 
for them the resources of His Infinite Power; and so 
as never, even to the end of the world, to leave them 
without His Sacred Presence, without His Divine Sac- 
rifice, without His giving Himself for the nourish- 



274 SIXTH DAY 

ment of their souls in Holy Communion. " Greater 
love than this no man has but that he give his life for 
his friend." Yes, no man can do more than that; 
but God can ; He can give Himself. And this He did 
precisely when He was about to suffer the most pain- 
ful and shameful death for my sins. " The Lord 
Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took 
bread, and giving thanks, broke, and said : ' Take ye 
and eat : this is My Body which shall be delivered for 
you : this do for the commemoration of Me.' In like 
manner also the chalice, after He had supped, saying : 
' This chalice is the new testament in My Blood : this 
do ye, as often as you shall drink, for the commemora- 
tion of Me ' " (1 Cor. 11 :23-25.) How have I till now 
corresponded to so prodigal a love? What is my 
devotion towards our Lord in the Adorable Eucharist? 
How do I prove to Him my gratitude by Visits, at 
Holy Mass, before and after Holy Communion? Am 
I careful in whatever belongs to the cult of the Blessed 
Sacrament? the linen, the vestments, the adornments, 
the sanctuary lamp, the candles, the music? Am I 
punctual in the observance of all the rubrics that re- 
gard the celebration of Holy Mass, the administration 
of Holy Communion, and the conduct of Public Wor- 
ship? Again, since He has loved and still loves each 
one of us with such excess of love in this August Sac- 
rament, can I ever think of having done enough for 
Him in my exercise of Fraternal Charity? Was it 
not immediately after the Institution of the Holy 
Eucharist that He inculcated His new commandment, 
to love one another as He loved us? How sincere, 
then, how tender, how generous, how self-forgetful, 
and how untiring should be my Fraternal Charity! 
What intimate union there should reign among those 
who daily receive Him, in the same chapel and at the 



THE LAST SUPPER 275 

same hour, in Holy Communion ! Lastly, has He not 
instituted this Adorable Sacrament precisely to en- 
able us to love Him in return for such wonderful, 
excessive love of His, and to give us abundant grace 
that we might do what is so utterly impossible to 
human nature, namely, to embrace everywhere suffer- 
ing and contempt, to seek in all things our greater 
humiliation and continual mortification, in compli- 
ance with His Teaching and in imitation of His Ex- 
ample, simply that thus we might more truly resemble 
Him, our King, our Savior, and our God? 

Colloquy. — " To finish/' says St. Ignatius, " with a 
colloquy to Christ our Lord, and then to say an Our 
Father. Or if devotion urge me, three colloquies, one 
to the Mother, another to the Son, and a third to the 
Father, in the same form as that laid down in the 
meditation on Two Standards and in the note which 
follows the meditation on The Three Classes." Let 
us endeavor to pour out our hearts in ardent senti- 
ments of humility, contrition, gratitude, and love, as 
well as in urgent petitions for light and strength to 
confirm us in our practical Resolutions. 



A. M. D. G. 



"MY child, give me thy heart." 



SEVENTH DAY 



special patron : St. Mary Magdalen. 

motto : " I live in the faith of the Son of God, Who 
loved me and delivered Himself for me." — Gal. 2 :20. 

spirit: Longing for the evils of this world, Hard- 
ship and Contempt, 

reading : Imitation ; Bk. II, C. 12. 

Bk. Ill, C. 19, 50, 56, 57. 
Bk. IV, C. 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 15. 
Fourth Gospel; C. 18, 19. 



Strive to confirm all your Resolutions by the ardent 
love of Jesus Crucified, beseeching Him earnestly for 
a share in His sufferings and humiliations. Deter- 
mine the subject of your Particular Examen. 



THE AGONY AND THE BETRAYAL 

Introductory Remarks. — During the whole of this 
Third Week of the Exercises, and particularly during 
each successive Meditation on the Passion, we should 
make every effort to obtain the precious grace — that 
grace which gives the initial impulse toward genuine 
Sanctity — of desiring and embracing poverty, ob- 
scurity, hardships, and humiliations, for the love of 
Christ Crucified. We should not cease begging and 
beseeching our Divine Master, through the interces- 
sion of our Blessed Mother, till we feel certain tha£ 
we have been heard, that is, till we are positively re- 
solved, in our innermost heart, to accompany Him 
on the royal road to Calvary. To be a Religious, if it 
means anything at all, means this, to follow Christ; 
not in empty words or poetic fancies, but in down- 
right truth and solid reality. By His excessive af- 
flictions He merited for us abundant grace to do so ; 
and, therefore, instead of cowardly shrinking from 
this glorious task as if above our strength, we should 
take it up at once with the utmost confidence. Our 
Lord did not redeem us by His discourses and mir- 
acles, but by His Passion and Death; and hence the 
only thing that will gain Holiness for ourselves and 
Salvation for our neighbor, is not our appearance, or 
our talents, or our office, or our achievements, but our 
actual union with Him on the Cross of suffering and 
contempt. It was by meditating on the Sacred Pas- 
sion that the martyrs obtained the grace joyfully to 



278 SEVENTH DAY 

bear their horrible and shameful torments. Similar 
trials may await us, trials that involve the loss of 
comfort, country, liberty, and life. Are we ready for 
them? We do not know; but if only we meditate as 
they did, we too shall come out victorious, however 
fierce the combat. 

Subject of this Meditation. — After instituting the 
Holy Eucharist, Christ our Lord went down with His 
Apostles to the valley of Josaphat. On entering an 
olive orchard, called Gethsemane, He left eight of the 
disciples near the gate and the remaining three a little 
further. Then He betook Himself alone to prayer 
and suffered such anguish as to sweat copious drops 
of blood. When the hour had come, He went forth to 
meet Judas, who betrayed Him with a kiss, while the 
other Apostles fled in various directions. Being ar- 
rested like a criminal, our Savior was dragged up the 
slope of the hill to the palace of the High Priests. 

Composition of Place. — The garden of Gethsemane, 
the road leading up to Mount Sion, and the palace of 
the High Priests. 

Petition.—" Affliction with Christ filled with afflic- 
tion, anguish with Christ overwhelmed with anguish, 
tears and grief on account of the terrible sufferings 
Christ underwent for my sake " in the garden of Geth- 
semane and during the betrayal. 

First Point. The Agony in the Garden of Geth- 
semane. 

Our Blessed Redeemer, after celebrating with His 
Disciples the Jewish Passover and instituting the 
Holy Eucharist, spoke that wonderful farewell dis- 
course on our obligation of loving one another even as 



THE AGONY AND THE BETRAYAL 279 

He has loved us, and then went down to the valley of 
Cedron. This stream, skirting the eastern portion 
of Jerusalem, divides Mount Moriah, the hill on which 
the Temple stood, from the opposite hill, the Mount 
of Olives. At the foot of this latter hill, near the 
ravine formed by the torrent, lay an olive orchard, 
called Gethsemane, where our Lord was wont to pass 
the nightly hours in watching and prayer. 

It must have been about ten o'clock when Jesus with 
His Apostles reached this spot, and the full moon, 
rising slowly from behind Mount Olivet, left the 
garden of Gethsemane wrapped in darkness. Scarcely 
had Jesus entered the gate, when He allowed Himself 
to be seized upon by a most vehement sense of desola- 
tion. " Sit ye here," He said to a group of His Disci- 
ples, "while I go yonder to pray." And going on 
with only three of them, Peter, James, and John, He 
led them under the obscurity of the olive trees, toward 
the gloomiest corner of the garden. Never before had 
the Apostles seen their Beloved Master plunged in 
such sadness as this; He appeared to be wholly over- 
powered by terror and dejection. The God-Man 
paused a moment. " My soul," He groaned, " is sor- 
rowful even unto death. Wait you here, watch and 
pray." Then withdrawing from them about a stone's 
throw, He sank upon His knees and gradually bowing 
His head till His brow touched the very earth, 
" Father," He prayed, " Father, all things are possible 
to Thee, Oh ! take this cup away from Me ! " And He 
added, " But Thy will, not Mine, be done." 

After a more or less prolonged interval, He would 
repeat the same prayer in similar terms, till at last 
rising with difficulty, He returned to where He had 
left the three privileged Apostles. But there was not 
one friend to watch with Him, not one human heart to 



280 SEVENTH DAY 

sympathize with Him in His bitter distress. Weari- 
ness and sorrow had oppressed them with sleep. 
" Simon," our Lord said gently to Peter, " so thou 
sleepest? Couldst thou then not watch one hour with 
Me? " And then He uttered a loving warning for all : 
" Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation, 
for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." 

Again He withdrew from them, and casting Himself 
down in the dust, He abandoned Himself once more to 
this frightful agony, while repeating over and over 
again the same petition as before : " Father, if this cup 
cannot pass except I drink it, Thy will be done." And 
now that beautiful countenance, the delight of the 
Holy Angels, pale and worn, was flooded with tears, 
that majestic frame, the glory of manhood, quivered 
from head to foot, like a broken reed, while through 
every pore of that innocent body, there issued a sweat 
of blood, which saturated the garments of the Son of 
God and trickled down in heavy drops upon the 
ground. 

What was the cause of this overwhelming anguish, 
this awful agony, borne by Christ my Savior? First, 
the clear foreknowledge of His approaching torments 
and affronts, and from this I can gather how excessive 
they must have been when He suffered them in reality 
the next day. Secondly, the heinousness of the sins 
of men, which He had taken upon Himself thus to 
expiate ; and here I should call to mind my own sins, 
considering how by themselves they would have been 
sufficient to crush the Sacred Heart of Jesus and yet 
how little penance I have done for them till now. 
Thirdly, the ingratitude of almost countless millions 
and millions of souls who, in spite of His bitter af- 
flictions, in spite of His Boundless Love, would delib- 
erately rush into eternal perdition ; but especially the 



THE AGONY AND THE BETRAYAL 281 

ingratitude of so many Religious, His chosen com- 
panions and privileged friends, who would be content 
to lead lives of lukewarmness and routine, of inordi- 
nation and sin. I also was present to my Divine Re- 
deemer in the garden of Gethsemane; but while He 
was praying I was asleep, while He was weeping I was 
dissipated, while He was agonizing I was looking for 
enjoyment. Yes, I was present to Him, and He 
offered His mortal anguish to atone for my resist- 
ance to the promptings of grace, for my impatience 
under affliction and contempt, for my murmurings 
against the orders of Superiors, for my remissness in 
Meditation and Examen, at Mass and Communion. 

Second Point. The Betrayal. 

It was now near midnight. The full moon, stand- 
ing high in the heavens, was flooding the valley with 
her silvery light. The most profound peace reigned 
over all nature. " Rise, let us go," said Christ to 
His Apostles, " behold, he who will betray me is at 
hand." Judas was bringing up an escort, placed at 
his disposal by the High Priests and the Sanhedrin, a 
veritable mob made up partly of military guards of the 
Temple under one of their officers, and partly of hired 
watchmen whose duty it was to prevent disorder in 
the city during the night. They were armed with 
clubs and swords, and provided also with lanterns at 
the suggestion, it seems, of the traitor. The police 
were to lead away the Prisoner, while the soldiers 
would see to their protection against any violent re- 
sistance on the part of His Disciples. Judas had led 
the way to the entrance of Gethsemane, intending to 
surprise the Apostles and not expecting to find him- 
self at once face to face with his Master. But at that 
very moment, our Lord, going before His three favor- 



282 SEVENTH DAY 

ite Disciples, reached the spot where he had left the 
other eight at the beginning of His Agony. This 
sudden meeting caused the traitor to become con- 
fused ; he hastily stepped forward and, perhaps, with- 
out knowing very well what he was doing, took Jesus 
by the hands, as was the custom, and kissed Him, 
saying, " Hail, Master." — " Friend," whispered our 
Lord into his ear, " why art thou come? " And put- 
ting him gently away, He added, " Judas, dost thou 
betray the Son of Man with a kiss? " 

Here we see the terrible results of inordination. 
Judas started on his downward career when, having 
charge of the alms contributed for the support of the 
Apostolic Community, he became gradually attached 
to money. Now he is so completely blinded and hard- 
ened by his passion for wealth that, for the paltry sum 
of thirty shekels, he has engaged to deliver his Ador- 
able Master into the hands of the High Priests. Hav- 
ing lost all supernatural faith, hope, and love, the sub- 
sequent realization of his foolish and criminal bar- 
gain will only serve to seal his everlasting doom by 
driving him to a horrible suicide. Have not some Re- 
ligious Vocations ended in a similar catastrophe! 
Well may we take to heart the warning words of 
Christ : " Watch and pray that you enter not into 
temptation : the spirit, indeed, is willing but the flesh 
is weak." 

Though grieved beyond measure by the base be- 
trayal of Judas, our Lord advanced calm and majestic 
to meet His enemies. " Whom seek ye? " He asked 
in a clear voice. They sneeringly answered : " Jesus 
of Nazareth." — " I am He." The moment His answer 
reached their ears, they were overmastered by a 
mysterious force and fell backward to the ground, 
Judas with them. For a few moments they remained 



THE AGONY AND THE BETRAYAL 283 

as if paralyzed, then they rose up full of wonder and 
fear, while the traitor tried to sneak away in the 
crowd. Christ repeated His question : " Whom seek 
ye?" — "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied in a sub- 
dued tone. " I have told you that I am He," our Lord 
said, "if therefore you seek Me, let these go their 
way." And so speaking He pointed to His Disciples 
who were standing in a group at a little distance, 
some indignant and angry, others sad and frightened, 
but all aware that their own lives, as well as that of 
their Beloved Master, were at stake. 

Here we can admire both the irresistible power of 
our Divine Lord, which He is ever willing to exert if 
need be in behalf of His servants, and his watchful 
solicitude for the safety of those faint-hearted 
Apostles. Hence we should learn that God will never 
allow us to suffer beyond our weakness, and that, 
whatever temptation He may permit to fall upon us, 
He will always provide abundant grace that we may 
resist and conquer. 

The men now drew near to Jesus and prepared to 
lay hands on Him. At sight of this some of the 
Apostles cried out, " Lord, shall we strike? " And 
without waiting for an answer, Peter rushed into the 
crowd and with a random blow cut off the ear of a 
man called Malchus. This unexpected display of 
boldness caused the mob to recoil for a moment and 
our Lord took the occasion to calm the excitement of 
His Disciples. " Let them alone," He said, " and put 
up again thy sword into its scabbard. The chalice 
which my Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? 
Thinkest thou that I cannot ask My Father, and He 
will give Me presently more than twelve legions of 
Angels? " Then stooping down to Malchus, who was 
lying in the dust, He touched his ear and healed the 



284 SEVENTH DAY 

wound; while the Apostles abandoned their Divine 
Master and scattered in various directions. 

As the action of Peter had caused some delay, the 
Priests came up to see what was the matter, and 
Jesus addressed to them this terrible rebuke : " You 
are come out, as if I were a robber, with swords and 
clubs to apprehend Me. I sat among you daily, teach- 
ing in the Temple, and you laid not hands on Me. 
But this is your hour and the power of darkness." 
But they received His words with a scornful smile. 
At the command of the Tribune, the Temple guards 
surrounded Jesus, and the henchmen of the Sanhedrin 
bound His hands; after which they hurried Him off, 
with blows and kicks, across the wild torrent and up 
the steep slope, to the palace of the High Priests on 
Mount Sion. 

The behavior of the Apostles teaches us the incon- 
stancy, smallness, and selfishness of our own hearts, 
in contrast with the steadfastness, generosity, and 
charity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus; while the ob- 
duracy of the Priests shows us to what depths of 
wickedness we may descend, if we fail to check the 
first motions of ambition, envy, or pride. But 
throughout this Meditation our main concern should 
be, by humble endeavor and fervent supplication, by 
ardent contrition and tender compassion, to take a 
real share in the crushing sadness and manifold afflic- 
tion which our Divine Lord longed to experience in 
order to ransom us from the thraldom of Hell and 
bring us to the possession of Heaven. 

Third Point. What Christ is Going to Suffer and 
Wishes to Suffer in His Sacred Humanity. 

As this is one of the special points recommended by 
St. Ignatius to our diligent consideration whenever 



THE AGONY AND THE BETRAYAL 285 

we meditate on the Passion, let us strive to bring 
home to ourselves the inward eagerness, the holy im- 
petuosity, with which the Son of God now allows Him- 
self to be pushed and dragged like a dangerous im- 
postor or odious malefactor who is rushed into the 
presence of the Magistrates to hear the public con- 
demnation and to receive the just penalty of his 
crimes. It was all because of His Measureless Love 
for us, mere nothings and wretched sinners. Yet we, 
far from imitating our Adorable Savior, far from 
gladly bearing with Him harsh and contemptuous 
treatment, how often have we not acted even worse 
than the well-meaning but timorous Apostles? Full 
of sympathy, they grieved and wept at seeing their 
Cherished Leader at the mercy of His powerful and 
pitiless enemies. We, on the contrary, not only re- 
fused to accept our little share in the afflictions of 
Christ our Lord, but even strove to drown His very 
remembrance in the sinful gratification of our sensual 
appetites. Painful as was to the Faithful and Gen- 
erous Heart of Jesus the cowardice of those chosen 
Disciples, bitter as was the treason of Judas Iscariot, 
has not also our conduct on many occasions been such 
as to cause yet greater pain and bitterness to this most 
Affectionate and most Devoted Friend? And what 
consolation have we given Him till now to atone for 
our base ingratitude? Even if we were to shed a tor- 
rent of tears every day of our life, even if we were 
moreover to chastise our sinful flesh with every instru- 
ment of penance, and to subdue our unruly passions 
with every practice of mortification, and to afflict our 
foolish pride with every kind of humiliation, it would 
all be as nothing in comparison to the wrong we have 
committed against Him, our Savior and our God. 
The Apostles ever afterwards spent themselves in 



286 SEVENTH DAY 

ceaseless labors, amid innumerable hardships, appal- 
ling dangers, and stubborn persecution, for the Ador- 
able Name of Jesus; till finally they followed their 
Divine Master even to prison, to torture, and to death. 
But where are our works of expiation, what has been 
our return of love, during so many years since our 
conversion from the world? Alas! how perfunctory 
has been our contrition, how shallow our amendment, 
how distracted our prayer, how lax our poverty, how 
imperfect our chastity, how half-hearted our obedi- 
ence, how defective our observance, how sluggish our 
zeal, and how cold our charity ! But if such has been 
our conduct towards Jesus in the past, it certainly 
shall not remain the same for the future. This we 
promise Him, while putting our entire trust in those 
infinite treasures of grace which He purchased for 
us by His Sacred Passion and Death. Henceforth we 
will prove to Him our love, not only by the tears we 
shall daily shed for our sins and by the satisfaction 
we shall constantly make for our offenses, but also 
by joyfully bearing with Him and for Him every op- 
portunity of mortification and humiliation with which 
He may vouchsafe to honor us as His poor servants 
and lowly companions. 

Colloquy with Jesus in anguish and agony, with 
Jesus betrayed and abandoned, with Jesus arrested 
and maltreated, for love of me and on my account; 
continuing to implore the grace of sharing in His suf- 
ferings and humiliations, till I actually feel that my 
petition has been heard. — Anima Christi. 



THE SCOURGING AND THE CROWN- 
ING WITH THORNS 

Subject of this Meditation. — Pilate, in order to 
gratify the hatred of the High Priests ordered Jesus 
to be scourged, after which the soldiers mocked and 
maltreated Him as a would-be King of the Jews. 

Composition of Place. — The inner courtyard of the 
fortress Antonia or Prsetorium. 

Petition. — Affliction with Christ filled with afflic- 
tion, anguish with Christ overwhelmed with anguish, 
tears and grief on account of the terrible sufferings 
Christ underwent for my sake during the scourging 
and the crowning with thorns. 

First Point. The Scourging or Flagellation. 

Pontius Pilate, the Roman Procurator of Judea, 
had already more than once proclaimed our Savior 
innocent of all the malicious and absurd charges laid 
against Him by the Jewish High Priests. Neverthe- 
less, through a most cowardly, unjust, and heartless 
condescension to the envy and rancor of these degen- 
erate sons of Abraham, he delivered his Divine Pris- 
oner to the soldiers to be scourged. The Scourging, 
or Flagellation, amongst the Romans, was a punish- 
ment reserved for aliens and slaves, and was inflicted 
with such severity that not seldom the sufferer would 
not only faint but actually die under the lash. But 



288 SEVENTH DAY 

the Son of God longed for our sakes, for the sake of 
each one of us, to be humiliated like the vilest outlaw 
and to be chastised like the worst criminal. 

Jesus, accordingly, was led to a marble column that 
stood in the center of the courtyard of the Prsetorium, 
the fortified residence of the Roman Procurator. 
There the soldiers rudely stripped Him of His gar- 
ments, tied His wrists to a ring in the top of the pillar, 
so as to stretch His body to its full length, and then 
strapped also His feet, which barely touched the 
ground, to the base. Upon this one of the execution- 
ers came forward, holding in his hands the terrible 
lash made of several strips of rawhide about eighteen 
inches long. Sometimes these were moreover gar- 
nished with bits of bone or points of metal. The man 
took his stand behind the Humble Victim, on a large 
stone step so as to aim his blows more surely. For 
a moment there reigned silence around that fatal 
column, while everybody was waiting for the word to 
strike. Jesus alone was praying. Let us meanwhile 
make an act of the most intense and profound adora- 
tion. 

At the command of the officer in charge, the execu- 
tioner began to strike slowly and heavily, spacing the 
blows on the quivering flesh from the shoulders down 
in such a way as to leave no spot untouched. Hissing 
the scourge went through the air, and wherever it came 
down there it left one or more ugly wales. Soon the 
skin was all torn and the lash dripping with blood. 
Every one of the now rapidly succeeding blows en- 
larged the gashes already made, so that after a while 
the whole back seemed but one open wound. The sides 
also of our Adorable Savior were cruelly cut by the 
sharp ends of the thongs, and even the remotest parts 
of His Body got their share of torture. His head was 



SCOURGING AND CROWNING 289 

drooping backward; His breast was heaving irregu- 
larly ; He was about to swoon away. 

It is universally admitted that the more delicate 
a man's nervous system and bodily organization is, 
the more sensitive also he is to suffering. Now there 
had never been such a perfect specimen of manhood 
as our Divine Lord, and this very perfection of soul 
and body gave to each of the blows He received an 
efficacy of which we cannot even form a faint idea. 
Indeed it would be difficult for us to realize what an 
ordinary person would have endured under this bar- 
barous punishment. It is a well known fact, that 
where this penalty is still sometimes inflicted, though 
the number of blows is very limited, even the most 
robust men are liable to faint. 

Yet this physical torment was only the smallest 
portion of the afflictions borne by Jesus during the 
Scourging. The deep confusion caused by the expo- 
sure of His Virginal Body to the unholy gaze of the 
bystanders, and still more the crushing anguish aris- 
ing from the foulness and malice of the particular 
kind of sins He was thus expiating, these were mental 
torments entirely beyond the reach of our human un- 
derstanding. There is, indeed, abundant reason for 
thinking that this frightful Flagellation was intended 
and undergone by the Son of God as a special expia- 
tion for transgressions of the Sixth and Ninth Com- 
mandments, for sins of sensuality, immodesty, and 
impurity. For, on the one hand, these sins are most 
degrading, inasmuch as they subordinate the immor- 
tal soul to the corruptible body and subject the free 
spirit to the brute animal; and, therefore, Jesus, in 
offering Himself as a Victim for man thus dishonored, 
wished to be treated after the manner of a slave. On 
the other hand, the sin of impurity, whether commit- 



290 SEVENTH DAY * 

ted in thought, in word, or in act, implies a certain 
worship given to the flesh ; and hence Christ, in atone- 
ment for this idolatry, willed His Sinless Flesh to 
be so deeply humbled and so cruelly lacerated. 

But at last this horrible scourging had come to an 
end and the soldiers loosened the ropes that bound 
our Lord to the pillar. His Sacred Body, all cov- 
ered with wounds and completely exhausted, sank to 
the ground in a pool of blood. This, then, was the 
awful price paid by Jesus, my God and Savior, for 
the carnal vanity, wanton immodesty, and sensual 
indulgence of mankind, for those heinous offenses the 
mere recollection of which — if I ever had the mis- 
fortune to commit them — should cause me to die of 
shame and grief. He Who is Essential Purity and 
Absolute Holiness, was here publicly handled like the 
most vicious scoundrel and the most contemptible 
wretch; that thus He might, in our stead, make ade- 
quate reparation to the outraged Majesty of the Most 
High. Whoever at any time fell grievously, can say 
in very truth : " This excruciating torture and an- 
guish was all the work of my hideous sins ; every blow 
was struck and every insult was inflicted by my shock- 
ing violations of the Divine Law. It was for me that 
Christ suffered all this ; for me, the real criminal ; for 
me, most wicked sinner; for my sake and on my ac- 
count. But what have I as yet done or suffered for 
Him, or rather for myself, to expiate on my part 
these unmentionable excesses? How can I bear to see 
Him, my Innocent Kedeemer, my Adorable Master, in 
such torment and ignominy, whilst I, His guilty 
creature, His faithless servant, remain in ease and 
comfort? What, then, am I going to do and to suffer, 
henceforth, in penance for my shameful iniquities and 
in return for His Boundless Love? " 



SCOURGING AND CROWNING 291 

Second Point. The Crowning with Thorns. 

Our Divine Savior, with a great effort, was just ris- 
ing to His knees in order to resume His garments. 
He was surrounded by a group of idle soldiers, who 
had been present at the Scourging and were now 
taunting Him with coarse and cruel jests, while they 
were waiting for the further orders of Pontius Pilate. 
Suddenly one of these men got a wicked inspiration. 
He remembered that Jesus had proclaimed Himself a 
king, but that as such He had already been ridiculed 
by Herod, who had sent Him back to Pilate clothed in 
the white robe of a candidate for office, and that He 
had actually been rejected by His own people, who 
even now were clamoring in the square outside, in 
front of the fortress, to see Him crucified. While the 
Roman Procurator was still deliberating on his future 
course of action, it occurred to this man that he and 
his fellow soldiers might divert themselves with this 
strange Jew, by subjecting Him to a sham investiture 
of royalty. 

The* suggestion met with general approval. At 
once they summoned all their comrades, some five 
hundred in number, to take part in the entertainment, 
and having slipped a rope about the hands of our 
Adorable Savior they dragged Him just as He was, 
into a large hall or portico, opening on the inner 
courtyard. There some of them threw over his bare 
shoulders an old military cloak instead of a royal 
mantle, made Him sit down on a block of wood as on 
a throne, stuck a piece of bamboo, for a scepter, 
between His fettered hands, whilst others, out of the 
thorny branches used for the fire, fashioned something 
like a cap to serve as a kingly crown, and, amid the 
noisy acclamations and insulting jeers of the whole 
crowd, pressed this violently down over His bleeding 



292 SEVENTH DAY 

brow. — Here again let us make an act of most humble 
and fervent adoration. 

The ceremony of coronation being thus concluded, 
those brutal soldiers formed a large circle around our 
Lord, and organized a procession of inauguration. 
Slowly they passed before Him, each one in turn bend- 
ing the knee in mock veneration, whilst saluting Him 
with a derisive " Hail, King of the Jews ! " and then 
getting up they spat upon His haggard and blood- 
stained countenance, and inflicted blows and kicks 
upon His wounded Body, or snatching the reed from 
between His hands they drove the crown of thorns 
deeper and deeper over His drooping Head. Every 
now and then, the procession would get disorderly; 
several of the men were, or pretended to be pushed on, 
and fell clumsily over their agonizing Victim, Who 
was thus more than once trampled under foot and 
well-nigh stifled in the crowd. Yet above all the 
tumult of laughter and abuse, there constantly re- 
sounded the insulting cry : " Hail, Jesus of Nazareth, 
King of the Jews." Our Lord, however, bore every- 
thing with unbroken silence and unalterable meek- 
ness ; only His tears bespoke the excess of His suffer- 
ings. 

Man had sinned through pride; I had sinned 
through pride, — through self-complacency, vanity, 
human respect, ambition, stubbornness, disobedience, 
— and for this pride Jesus desired to atone by submit- 
ting to this atrocious buffoonery, this inhuman cruelty. 
Yes, we are all permeated with this venom of Hell; 
every one of our sins is an effect of this detestable vice, 
and if we wish to make our salvation certain, if we 
wish to cancel the faults committed in the past, if we 
wish to serve God more faithfully in the future, if 
we wish to persevere in our sublime Vocation by 



SCOURGING AND CROWNING 293 

steadily advancing towards Holiness, we must strive 
by all means to become thoroughly and profoundly 
humble. Being made the sport and plaything of 
these insolent soldiers, the Son of God says to each 
of us with urgent emphasis, " Learn of Me, because 
I am meek and humble of heart." But woe to us 
Religious if we neglect or discard this supreme les- 
son of humility ; woe to us if we can behold our Ador- 
able Master subjecting Himself to this disgustingly 
outrageous treatment, on account of our very pride, 
and do not resolve, with the help of His grace, lov- 
ingly to welcome and patiently to bear every slight, 
every rebuke, every insult, every humiliation that may 
come to us from His Divine Providence, through the 
agency of any man, high or low, cultured or ignorant, 
devout or wicked. " For if in the green wood they do 
these things what shall be done in the dry? " What 
will be the eternal confusion heaped upon a Religious 
lost through pride? 

Third Point. The Concealment of the Divinity. 

This remarkable fact, to which St. Ignatius takes 
care to call our attention from the very opening of 
the Third Week, stands out vividly in the Scourging 
and still more so in the Crowning with Thorns. The 
Sacred Humanity of Christ was not only deprived of 
the normal effects of the beatific vision, — though 
this continued substantially unchanged, — but also 
of every other form of assistance and consolation. 
To the eyes of the bystanders there was nothing in 
Jesus that could strictly be called godlike: He had 
been completely abandoned to the savage fury of His 
tormentors. Nevertheless, the human will of Christ, 
ever perfectly united to the Divine Will, accepted not 
only most patiently but even most eagerly every pain 



294 SEVENTH DAY 

and every indignity inflicted on Him by these ruffians, 
for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 
" When He suffered He threatened not ; but He de- 
livered Himself to those that judged Him unjustly." 
( 1 Pet. 2 :24. ) The Divinity sustained the Humanity 
only in so far as to enable our Savior to suffer the 
more and the longer, that thus He might satisfy more 
fully His boundless gratitude for all the favors of 
the Adorable Trinity, His burning zeal for the of- 
fended Majesty of the Most High, and His devouring 
thirst for the happiness of His brethren. 

It is plain that, whatever we may do, we can never 
except very distantly approach such transcendent 
Holiness, or make any but a very inadequate return 
for such astounding Liberality. But surely, though 
it be beyond our strength to do all we may wish, we 
should at least do whatever we can with the help of 
Divine Grace. At the revolting spectacle of this 
wanton barbarity exercised against this Meekest and 
Humblest of men, in Whom by faith we clearly recog- 
nize the Almighty Creator, the Sovereign Lord, the 
Infinite Goodness, we will prostrate ourselves before 
Him in profoundest adoration and offer Him our ir- 
revocable renunciation of human comforts and earthly 
distinctions, as far as permitted by His most Loving 
Providence. For the future, our satisfaction shall 
be to be deprived of what would gratify our senses 
and passions ; our ambition, to be treated as the lowest 
and the least of mankind. Far from importuning 
our Heavenly Father to shield us from affliction or 
humiliation, we will henceforth thank Him for 
granting us these precious opportunities to do pen- 
ance for our sins, to imitate the example of His Only- 
Begotten Son, and to prove our gratitude for His 
ineffable Mercy and Love. 



SCOURGING AND CROWNING 295 

Colloquy, with Jesus scourged and mocked for love 
of me and on my account. With what earnestness 
and confidence I should implore from Him an intense 
shame and burning contrition for any sinful indul- 
gence contrary to modesty or purity, for any foolish 
unguardedness in the use of my senses or imagination, 
for any inordinate curiosity in reading or study ! But 
I must also beg Him again and again, by this fearful 
Flagellation and this fiendish Mockery which He bore 
with such perfect Meekness, for my sake and in my 
stead, to bestow upon me the priceless grace of apply- 
ing myself unceasingly to the acquisition of the Third 
Degree of Humility. Lastly, ought I not to promise 
Him, my Heavenly Spouse, that as long as my health 
permits, I will not only avail myself diligently of 
all common exercises of penance, but besides gener- 
ously practise whatever self-affliction I may under- 
take with leave of my Confessor or Superior? How 
many Religious fast rigorously almost the entire 
year? how many abstain habitually from whatever 
might gratify their palate? how many discipline their 
bodies severely nearly every day? how many wear 
pointed steel chains like bracelets or girdles from the 
hour they rise till breakfast time? how many pass one 
or more nights every week sleeping on rough boards 
or on the bare ground? how m^ny pray morning, 
noon, and night, for several minutes with arms ex- 
tended? how many constantly volunteer to do the 
lowliest and hardest work about the house, laundry, 
refectory, kitchen, or scullery? All this and much 
more they gladly undertake — though not without 
permission of their Superiors — in order to make 
reparation for sin and to become similar to their Di- 
vine Master. Hitherto I have done very little indeed. 
But I will not rise from my knees till Jesus, my 



296 SEVENTH DAYi 

Merciful Lord, has inspired me with some definite 
and efficacious Resolutions to follow Him from now 
on not merely in fancy but in very deed. — Our 
Father. 



THE HOLY MASS 

Of all devotional exercises calculated to advance 
us in grace and perfection, none can be more efficient 
than attendance at Holy Mass. For the Sacrifice of 
the Altar, in which Christ our Lord daily offers Him- 
self in a mystic though real manner, through the in- 
strumentality of the verbal Consecration, is the same 
as that which He offered some nineteen hundred years 
ago, through the instrumentality of the Roman sol- 
diers, on the ignominious Cross of Calvary. But just 
as many of those who were present at that Bloody 
Immolation of the Lamb of God went away unchanged 
for the better, so even now many of those who assist 
at the Unbloody Immolation of Jesus Christ, derive 
from it but little benefit. The cause is not far to 
seek. It is our lack of spiritual insight. We do not 
appreciate at their true value the Sublime Mysteries 
so constantly enacted before us on the altar, we do not 
understand what part we are to take in this Divine 
Function, we do not see how we are to realize our 
part. Let us therefore, consider briefly; first, the 
Value of the Holy Sacrifice as shown by its threefold 
end ; secondly, the Share we are to take in it, namely, 
our self-sacrifice in union with Christ; and thirdly, 
the Means of actuating this self-sacrifice. 

The Threefold End or Purpose of the Mass. 
The Primary and Essential Purpose of all Sacrifice 
is Adoration; namely, that practical recognition of 



298 SEVENTH DAY 

God's Supreme Excellence and Absolute Dominion 
which all intellectual creatures owe Him as their 
First Beginning and their Last End. Of all our 
duties this one is no doubt the most fundamental and 
the most indispensable. It is a duty the rapturous 
performance of which will engage us for all eternity 
in Heaven, singing in sweetest harmony with myriads 
of Blissful Spirits, " Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! Lord God 
of Hosts ! " For though an act of love and an act 
of adoration are formally different, yet they are ma- 
terially inseparable, so that adoring love and loving 
adoration are one and the same motion of the soul. 
Now in Holy Mass we possess a most potent means 
of complying with this all-important obligation. For 
the Victim offered in acknowledgment of the Divine 
Supremacy is truly a Victim of infinite worth, the 
Man-God, Jesus Christ ; and It is offered with the 
fathomless humility and the unspeakable love of His 
Sacred Heart. Let us, then, exert ourselves particu- 
larly during the solemn moments of Consecration, 
when our Blessed Savior is mystically renewing the 
unreserved Immolation of Himself once made on 
Calvary, to stir up similar sentiments in our own 
proud and selfish hearts. It is only thus that we can 
learn to value every creature solely in its relation to 
the Creator, that we can succeed in concentrating 
all our energies on the perfect fulfilment of the Di- 
vine Will, and that we can come to be wholly possessed 
by a burning zeal for the greater glory of the Sover- 
eign Majesty, so as to live henceforth for nothing but 
the wider, more copious, more splendid manifestation 
of the Infinite Goodness and Beauty, God. 

Another End of the Holy Sacrifice is Propitiation. 
For this we have the constant teaching of the Church, 
and the frequent references in her time-hallowed 



THE HOLY MASS 299 

liturgy. Moreover, our Adorable Redeemer clearly 
indicated this End, when He first made the mystic 
oblation of His Body and Blood. " This is my Body," 
He said, " which is being given for you." — " This 
chalice, which is being poured out for you, for the 
remission of sins, is the new testament in My Blood." 
Now, this Propitiation consists in the application of 
the infinite atonement and merit of the Cross; and 
inasmuch as it is our Blessed Lord Who offers Him- 
self for us in Holy Mass, its propitiatory, satisfactory, 
and impetrative effects are infallible, provided we as- 
sist at the Sacrifice with the requisite dispositions. 
Hence, practically, the fruits of justification and 
sanctification, the temporal and spiritual benefits, 
reaped from this August Function are exactly pro- 
portional to our actual purity and fervor of soul. If 
only we knew, therefore, how to profit by this stupen- 
dous grace, we might confidently expect to obtain not 
merely a daily more complete canceling of the guilt, 
penalty, and residue of sin, but also a rapid increase 
of virtue and a marked progress towards perfection, 
together with countless other favors for ourselves and 
our neighbor. And this should spur us on, when en- 
gaged in hearing Mass, most ardently to implore the 
Divine Liberality for our own necessities as well as for 
the interests of our Companions and the sanctification 
of our Superiors, particularly for the welfare of our 
Holy Father the Pope. Besides, we should pray ear- 
nestly for our pupils or other charges; for our rela- 
tives, friends, benefactors, and enemies; for Bishops, 
Priests, Religious, and Laymen ; for sinners, heretics, 
schismatics, unbelievers, and idolaters ; lastly, for all 
those who are in affliction, for those about to die this 
very day, and especially for the Suffering Souls in 
Purgatory. If we but reflect seriously for a few 



300 SEVENTH DAY 

moments how the Sacred Heart of Jesus is, as it 
were, breaking under the strain of His passionate 
longing for the salvation and perfection of every sin- 
gle man, with what intense desire should we not be 
consumed to pray, labor, suffer, and die for the spirit- 
ual progress of our brethren and the eternal welfare 
of souls? 

The Third End of Holy Mass is Thanksgiving. 
Just as we cannot adequately honor God without 
imploring His all-powerful help for our countless 
miseries and necessities, so we do not honor God 
worthily, unless we also render Him devout thanks for 
the inestimable blessings incessantly poured out on 
every creature and most of all on man. And here, in 
order that we may be able to share somewhat in that 
most humble and fervent gratitude which is ever 
bursting forth from the Heart of our Savior, let us 
briefly review, especially during the latter part of 
the Mass, the principal favors of which we have been 
the unworthy recipients. For convenience, we may 
arrange them under eight heads, like the eight notes 
of a celestial gamut, the exquisite melody of which is 
forever rising from the multitude of the Blessed to 
the throne of the Uncreated Goodness, the Most Holy 
Trinity. First, the Almighty Father loving me with 
an infinite, gratuitous love from all eternity and in 
time creating me man ; secondly, the Adorable Word 
made Flesh for my redemption, laboring and suffer- 
ing for my sake, and dying on a Cross to atone for 
my detestable iniquities ; thirdly, Jesus, true God and 
true Man, dwelling with me under the same roof in 
the humble tabernacle, offering Himself anew for me 
on the altar at this very moment and at every hour of 
the day all over the world, and lowering Himself even 
so far as to become the Food of my soul in Holy Com- 



THE HOLY MASS 301 

munion; fourthly, the Divine Spirit, continually de- 
scending upon me for my guidance and consolation, 
inspiring me with good thoughts and generous de- 
sires, purifying me more and more from sin and its 
consequences, and daily rendering my heart a less 
unbefitting temple for the Ever -Adorable Trinity; 
fifthly, Mary, the Immaculate Mother of God, truly 
also my Mother, ever watching over me with the most 
tender solicitude, my joy in affliction, my strength in 
temptation, my perseverance in weariness, and my 
unfailing refuge whenever I fall; sixthly, my Voca- 
tion to the Religious State in this holy Institute, and 
all its special means of sanctification, continually be- 
stowed on me in spite of my utter worthlessness and 
numberless infidelities; seventhly, God, in His Ad- 
mirable Providence, with unsearchable wisdom and 
unwearied love, at every instant of my existence, dis- 
posing everything, past, present, and future, every 
circumstance of my life from the most trifling detail 
to the most decisive event, to make me holy, perfect, 
entirely His; and lastly, Jesus, my Triumphant Re- 
deemer, preparing for me, instead of the well-deserved, 
everlasting torments of Hell, an inconceivable, never- 
fading bliss in Heaven, a true participation in the 
very Nature of God. After thus recalling to mind 
this endless chain of most marvelous favors, we shall 
surely be forced to exclaim : " O infinite bounty, O 
inexhaustible liberality of my Creator, my Redeemer, 
and my Spouse! How have I been able to live so 
long without loving Thee? without sacrificing for 
Thee my whole self? without consuming all my gifts 
and talents in praising and serving Thee, and in in- 
viting all creatures to thank and glorify Thee? Take, 
then, O Lord, take and receive all I am and all I 
have, only give me Thy grace and Thy love, to draw 



302 SEVENTH DAY 

all hearts to the worship of Thy Blessed Name, to the 
experience of Thy Boundless Mercy, and to the ac- 
complishment of Thy most Holy Will." 

The Share we are to Take in the Mass. 

Having thus briefly considered the triple end of 
Holy Mass, adoration, propitiation, and thanksgiving, 
— which may, not inaptly, be referred to the three 
Persons in the Indivisible Divine Substance, Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost, — let us now examine what part 
we are to take in this daily oblation of the Incarnate 
Word. As we all know, the first point of difference 
between the Sacrifice of the Cross and the Sacrifice 
of the Mass is this, that on Calvary our Divine Savior 
was the sole Pontiff, while on the Altar He is offered 
not only by Himself as the principal and efficient 
Priest, but also by the Celebrant, as a true, though 
subordinate, and, we might almost say, ministerial 
Priest; and, besides by the entire body of the Faith- 
ful, as represented in the person of the Celebrant. 
Hence, in the Canon of the Mass, Holy Church directs 
him to pour forth the following prayer : " We, there- 
fore, beseech Thee, O Lord, graciously to accept this 
oblation made to Thee by us, Thy Servants, and by 
Thy entire Household." In fact, already before the 
Preface, the Celebrant thus exhorts the Congregation : 
" Pray, brethren, that the sacrifice which is both 
mine and yours may become acceptable to God, the 
Father Almighty." However, from this we must not 
conclude that all the members of the Church offer 
the Mystic Sacrifice in exactly the same way. For 
while many do so only habitually, — those namely 
who, by their profession of Christianity, participate 
in the worship given to God all over the world ac- 
cording to the rites instituted by Christ, — others 



THE HOLY MASS 303 

offer the Holy Mass also actually either by helping 
to procure what is necessary, or by serving the Cele- 
brant at the altar, or by merely attending the Sacred 
Mysteries. 

But from this first difference there follows another 
and very important one; namely, that in Holy Mass 
the Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church, 
forms part of what is offered to God, while on Calvary 
Jesus was the sole Victim. For the outward sacri- 
fice, that is, the action witnessed by the senses, de- 
rives all its meaning from the fact that it is symbol- 
ically expressive of the inward worship by which a 
man submits and devotes himself entirely to God. 
This flows from the very nature of a Sacrifice, and 
is confirmed by the explicit teaching of St. Thomas. 
It is this interior self-immolation which is referred 
to in the beautiful prayer made immediately after 
the oblation of the bread and the wine : " In a hum- 
ble spirit and with a contrite heart we beg to be 
received by Thee, O Lord, and may our Sacrifice this 
day be such in Thy sight as to please Thee, O Lord 
God." Hence, in so far as the members of the Church 
really participate in the Eucharistic Holocaust of 
Christ, they necessarily also associate themselves with 
the Divine Victim, offering It as a substitute for their 
own persons and intending thus to express the feel- 
ings of unconditional submission and unreserved dedi- 
cation with which they desire to be consumed for the 
honor of the Most High. The Church, then, in Holy 
Mass is joined to Christ not only as Offerer but also 
as Victim, she being the Mystical Body of which He 
is the Head. This is why our Adorable Savior 
wished to be immolated on the Altar under such ap- 
pearances as would figure forth this Mystic Body, 
which He was to acquire by His Passion and Death. 



304 SEVENTH DAY 

In other words, the Species of bread and wine are 
symbols of the mutual union of the Faithful, inas- 
much as the one results from the grinding of many 
grains and the other from the crushing of many ber- 
ries. This is also why, even after the Consecration, 
which essentially constitutes the Eucharistic Sacri- 
fice, the Celebrant begs God to look down upon the 
Oblation with a serene and propitious countenance, 
and to command It to be laid by angelic hands on the 
celestial altar in the sight of His Divine Majesty. 
For these and similar prayers, which might otherwise 
appear inexplicable and inadmissible, become full of 
meaning and devotion, as soon as we recollect that in 
Holy Mass the Church is both actively and passively 
associated with Christ our Lord. 

We are therefore warranted to conclude that in 
order to derive from this August Sacrifice the full 
benefit intended, we must unite ourselves to the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus in a twofold manner : as offer- 
ing and as offered. During this Sublime Function, 
our hearts should, like It, be wholly engrossed with 
the three great Ends, Adoration, Propitiation, and 
Thanksgiving : earnestly striving to relish and imitate 
the absolute purity of all Its intentions and Its de- 
vouring zeal for the exaltation of the Divine Glory, 
Its vehement detestation of even the slightest venial 
sin and Its insatiable thirst for man's salvation, Its 
perfect reference of every gift to the Eternal Good- 
ness and Its burning gratitude for the numberless 
favors continually lavished on all mankind. How- 
ever, not content with this, we should conjointly with 
our Blessed Eedeemer also offer ourselves and all 
we are and have, for these same Ends for which He 
offers Himself daily on our Altars, in memory of His 
Sacrifice on the Cross. This, the most obvious and 



THE HOLY MASS 305 

most indispensable element of attendance at Mass, is 
unfortunately the very one that is most commonly ig- 
nored and most completely overlooked. Reverential 
postures, devout prayers, loving aspirations, though 
all very good, are only accessories, whilst the princi- 
pal thing is Self-immolation in union with Christ our 
Lord. From what has been said it is also clear, that 
hearing Mass ought to be the special devotion, the 
favorite exercise, not to say of every Christian, surely 
at least of every Religious, since his very State is one 
of complete self-immolation and his whole Life is to 
be a continual practice of self-denial. 

How to Actuate our Self-Sacrifice. 

It only remains now to make a few suggestions 
about the Means we have of actuating this Sacrifice 
of self in union with Christ. For mere words will 
not do, we must come to deeds. St. Taul in his First 
Epistle to the Corinthians, in explanation of the Di- 
vine injunction, " Do this in commemoration of Me," 
adds, " For as often as you shall eat this Bread and 
drink this Chalice, you shall announce the death of 
the Lord." Now St. Basil makes on these words the 
following beautiful commentary : " We announce 
the death of the Lord when we die to sin and live to 
Christ, or when the world is crucified to us and we 
are crucified to the world." And this meaning, at- 
tached by a Holy Doctor to the text of the Great 
Apostle, is by no means so far-fetched as it might 
appear to some at first sight. For how, indeed, can 
we more clearly announce the death of Christ, that 
is, how can we more loudly proclaim that excess of 
Divine Love which caused our Adorable Savior to 
expire for each of us in unutterable shame and afflic- 
tion, than by completely sacrificing ourselves, after 



306 SEVENTH DAY 

His example, by His grace, and for love of Him? 
But there is no Self-Sacrifice possible, at least in this 
present world, without suffering anguish and con- 
tempt. Not that anguish and contempt constitute 
the Sacrifice, but they are its inseparable concomi- 
tants, or rather its requisite instruments, the indis- 
pensable means for its execution; while the Sacrifice 
itself consists in the interior abandonment and dedi- 
cation of the soul to God, an act that necessarily 
produces an increase of heavenly peace and super- 
natural nobility, and which forms the ceaseless oc- 
cupation of Saints and Angels in Eternal Bliss. But, 
here on earth, the perfection of our Self -Sacrifice will 
be exactly proportional to the intensity of our afflic- 
tion and the depth of our humiliation. Hence, the 
more intimately we wish to participate in the Holo- 
caust of our Divine Master, the more ardently we 
must cherish the Cross, not only by generously bear- 
ing our actual troubles, but also by earnestly praying 
for as much bodily and mental suffering as may be 
compatible with God's Adorable Providence. Now 
this we can do from three distinct motives ; first, from 
contrition for our sins, desiring to atone for them as 
fully as possible by the application of the infinite 
merits of our Blessed Lord; secondly, from zeal for 
souls, embracing our trials in union with our Cruci- 
fied Kedeemer for the salvation and perfection of our 
brethren; and thirdly, from pure affection, simply to 
exercise and strengthen our love for Him, Who 
has loved us so excessively from all eternity, our 
Heavenly King. 

As to the First Motive, however high we may have 
risen in the spiritual life, we should constantly keep 
in mind that devotion without contrition is sheer il- 
lusion. Not only the guilt of venial faults, but also 



THE HOLY MASS 307 

the unpaid penalty of past sins, and the evil tenden- 
cies they have fostered, are so many stains which, as 
long as they are not wholly removed by due atone- 
ment, render us displeasing in the eyes of our All- 
Holy Lover and prevent Him from admitting us on 
terms of intimate familiarity. Just as a person that 
has offended a dear friend or owes him a considerable 
sum of money, feels ashamed to appear in his pres- 
ence, so the soul denied by sin or its consequences 
dares not and cannot gaze on the blissful countenance 
of her Divine Spouse. And as after death, the re- 
deemed but still imperfect spirit eagerly plunges it- 
self into the cleansing fires of Purgatory, so already 
here on earth, the truly repentant sinner is ever ani- 
mated with a holy hatred and sincere contempt of self, 
and longs to be despised and ill-treated by every 
creature of God. Now such a petition may be con- 
veniently joined to the consideration of the First 
End of Holy Mass, Adoration, and thus engage us 
during the early part, for which the Liturgy pre- 
scribes various penitential prayers together with the 
Angelic Hymn or Greater Doxology. 

As to the Second Motive from which we may beg for 
affliction and humiliation, namely, zeal for souls, it 
hardly needs any further development. Every mem- 
ber of an apostolic Institute should be able to say 
with St. Paul ; " I fill up in my flesh what is wanting 
to the Passion of Christ, for His Body, which is the 
Church." For, though our Blessed Lord procured 
man's redemption at the price of His Blood poured 
out in an ecstasy of love, amid the direst torments 
and the bitterest ignominy, yet the effects of that 
redemption are still to be distributed all over the world 
and to be communicated to all succeeding generations 
by the Voluntary Crucifixion of the disciples and 



308 SEVENTH DAY 

companions of the Divine Crucified. According to 
the admirable plan of God, men are to be saved and 
sanctified, principally by Himself and secondarily by 
one another, but in either case through the Cross. As 
long as we are looking for our own satisfaction, 
whether it be of the senses, or of the intellect, or of 
the will, we are not laboring for souls. Our labors, 
whatever they may be, will be fruitful for salvation, 
only in as far as they are seasoned by mortification 
and humiliation, by weariness and contradiction, by 
loss of comfort, health, honor, liberty, and life. Not 
that we are to pray, without a special inspiration, for 
the rare privilege of being cruelly butchered by bar- 
barous idolaters. But while in the Holy Mass the 
Sacred Heart of Jesus is daily impetrating for us and 
all men the fruits of His Priceless Passion and Death, 
we too should beseech and conjure our Heavenly 
Father for the grace of partaking more largely in 
the measureless affliction of His Incarnate Son, and 
of being more completely immolated by Obedience for 
the salvation and perfection of our neighbor. 

But even if we had neither sins to atone for nor 
souls to save and sanctify, there would still be a Third 
Motive from which to beg for pain and scorn, the 
motive of pure affection for Jesus, our Adorable Mas- 
ter. For true love incessantly strives after a perfect 
communication of goods, after the leveling of every 
inequality and the obliteration of every distinction, 
save only that of individuality and personality. The 
Lover cannot bear to be better circumstanced or to be 
more honored than the Beloved. Now, in our present 
condition, we have no proper knowledge of God, the 
Beloved of our souls, except only in so far as He 
revealed Himself to us in His assumed Humanity, 
poor, ignored, reviled, betrayed, mocked, scourged, 



THE HOLY MASS 309 

crowned with thorns, overwhelmed with infamy, and 
nailed to a Cross, dying the death of a recreant slave. 
It is precisely this sensible manifestation of God's 
Ineffable Goodness that so powerfully stirs the human 
heart, while the abstract consideration of His Ador- 
able Perfections leaves it cold and barren. And 
hence no true love here below without pain, no life 
without death, no perfection without self-renuncia- 
tion. God Himself has obeyed this supreme law, the 
Law of Love. For, as He found us sunk in wretched- 
ness and degradation, He forsook the inaccessible 
splendors of His Majesty, and for our sakes took upon 
Himself the form of sinful flesh. His is a more than 
passionate love, an excessive love, a substantial love, 
a Divine Love; let ours be at least a human love, a 
passionate love, a love of soul and body, a love that 
energizes all our faculties, all our senses, a love that 
ever prays and strives and longs to become more and 
more similar to the Beloved, and to be clothed, for 
His sake and reverence, with the glorious livery of 
the Cross. This is a marvelous grace, and surely 
there can be no more appropriate time to implore it 
than when our hearts, refreshed and inflamed by Holy 
Communion, are united to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
in offering to the Ever-Blessed Trinity a perfect Sac- 
rifice of Thanksgiving. 

These, then, are some brief suggestions regarding 
the realization of our Self-Sacrifice. Only let us re- 
member that we cannot come to Jesus except through 
Mary, and that, if we desire to suffer w T ith Him, none 
can teach us how except she, who standing till the 
end under the Cross of Calvary, had her Immaculate 
Heart transfixed with all a mother's agony of love, for 
our sins, for our sanctification, and for our Crucified 
God. 



THE REJECTION AND THE 
CRUCIFIXION 

Subject of this Meditation. — After the Crowning 
with Thorns, Pilate showed Christ our Lord to the 
people and the High Priests, but they continued to 
clamor for His Crucifixion. On being asked whether 
they wished to crucify their King, they positively re- 
jected Him and proclaimed their subjection to Caesar. 
Then Pilate yielded completely to their fiendish hatred 
and condemned Jesus to be crucified. This sentence 
was carried out on Calvary, where our Divine Savior 
remained for three hours hanging on the Cross before 
He expired. 

Composition of Place. — The tribune or loggia over 
the gateway of the fortress Antonia, with the large 
hall adjoining it in the rear; and the Via Dolorosa, 
leading to Mount Calvary, a hillock beyond the west- 
ern walls of Jerusalem. 

Petition. — To bear affliction with Christ filled with 
affliction, anguish with Christ overwhelmed with an- 
guish, to shed bitter tears and feel piercing grief, on 
account of the terrible sufferings which Christ under- 
went for my sake during the Rejection and the Cruci- 
fixion. 

First Point. The Rejection. 

From the top of the double flight of marble steps 
leading down into the courtyard, Pilate beckoned the 



REJECTION AND CRUCIFIXION 311 

soldiers, who were still mocking and insulting our 
Divine Lord, to bring up their Prisoner. At once 
they made ready to obey. The Procurator slowly 
passed through the hall towards the tribune which 
was constructed over the arched entrance of the for- 
tress Antonia. He was followed by a picket of legion- 
aries supporting our Adorable Savior, Who was 
utterly exhausted and faltered at every step. An im- 
mense crowd had gathered in the square below. 
Pilate began to speak : " Look, I bring this Prisoner 
here before you, in order you may know that I find no 
cause in Him." And disclosing the Sacred Person of 
our Lord, Who till then had been hidden from the 
view of the people, he added in a loud voice, " Be- 
hold the Man." 

The Procurator had counted on this unexpected 
apparition to soothe the hatred of the Priests and to 
surprise the populace into pity. Who, indeed, could 
have resisted the sight of that bare and bleeding 
Figure? That languid head surmounted by a crown 
of thorns, that pallid face stained with gore, those 
half-closed eyes, those shriveled lips, those mangled 
shoulders only partly covered with a shabby mantle, 
those fettered hands holding a bamboo scepter, that 
whole Being immersed in an abyss of humiliation 
though illuminated by an unearthly majesty, — was 
not this enough to subdue even the hardest heart? 
In fact, a few moments of silent awe followed the 
sudden appearance of our Divine Lord. Then the 
members of the Sanhedrin raised the cry : " Crucify 
Him ! Crucify Him ! " Again there was silence, and 
Pilate answered gruffly, " Take Him yourselves and 
crucify Him, for I find no cause in Him." There was 
in this reply disappointment, anger, and contempt. 
What had it served him to treat these men with so 



312 SEVENTH DAY 

much consideration? It would have been better to 
let them feel his authority. But now it was too late. 
They were practically masters of the situation and 
might easily stir up a rebellion. What was he to do? 
But presently, the crowd having recovered from 
their surprise, hurled at him, like a defiance, the 
answer suggested to them by the Priests and the 
Scribes: "We have a law, and according to that 
law He ought to die, because He has claimed to be 
the Son of God." On hearing these w T ords, Pilate 
became more afraid and embarrassed than ever, and 
taking his Prisoner back into the hall he asked Him 
with ill-concealed agitation, "Whence art Thou?" 
But Jesus kept silent. " Speakest Thou not to me? " 
insisted Pilate, " Knowest Thou not that I have power 
either to crucify Thee or to release Thee? " Then 
our Lord answered in a voice, full of gentleness and 
dignity, " Thou shouldst not have any power over 
Me unless it were given thee from above." And as 
a last word of warning, that Pilate might not, through 
an unjust sentence, abuse the power of which he had 
been boasting, Christ added, " Therefore, he who 
delivered Me to thee has committed the greater sin." 
The Procurator understood both the instruction and 
the admonition. The question was settled. Without 
further delay he left the hall and announced to the 
people that he had decided to set his Prisoner at 
liberty. But meanwhile the members of the Sanhe- 
drin, aware of Pilate's emotion at their previous state- 
ment that Christ had claimed to be the Son of God 
and fearing some unexpected turn of affairs, had pre- 
pared the populace for this emergency. So, as soon 
as Pilate had signified his intention, they all cried out 
together, " If thou dost release this Man, thou art not 



REJECTION AND CRUCIFIXION 313 

Caesar's friend, for whosoever declares himself a king 
is a rebel against Caesar." 

The Procurator appeared as if struck by a thunder- 
bolt. His face turned pale and for a moment he was 
lost in thought. When he regained himself, his deci- 
sion had been reversed. Why should he run the risk 
of incurring the anger of Tiberius Caesar, for the sake 
of this Jew who appeared so little anxious to save 
Himself? True, it was a disgraceful surrender for a 
Roman officer, but for this he would avenge himself 
on this howling mob and their crafty abettors. Pom- 
pously he mounted the steps of his tribunal and 
ordered our Divine Lord, Who had remained behind 
in charge of the soldiers, to be led forth once more. 
Then pointing to the Prisoner, still presenting the 
same harrowing spectacle of acute suffering and pro- 
found humiliation, he said to the crowd in a tone tin- 
kling with irony, " Behold your King ! " They at 
once understood Pilate's meaning and the w r ord stung 
them into madness. " Away with Him ! " they yelled 
savagely, " Put Him to death ! Crucify Him ! " But 
Pilate persisted, " Shall I crucify your King? " It 
was both a cruel and a dangerous whim, thus to asso- 
ciate Jewish royalty with the punishment reserved 
for slaves. However, he was gratified far beyond his 
wishes. Sealing their rejection of Christ with an act 
of unparalleled baseness, the High Priests, those very 
men who represented the old party of national inde- 
pendence, cried aloud, "We have no king but 
Caesar." It was finished. Since the leaders of the 
nation had thus openly ratified their subjection to the 
Roman Emperor, Pilate no longer dared to refuse 
them the life of this innocent and godlike Man. Turn- 
ing, accordingly, to our Adorable Savior he pro- 



314 SEVENTH DAY 

nounced sentence in the customary form : " Thou 
shalt go to the cross." 

Here let us pause to reflect. Priests clamoring for 
the condemnation of the Holy One and plebeians 
thirsting for the blood of the Beneficent One and 
magistrates sentencing to the cross the Innocent One, 
vividly exemplify to what horrible crimes men may be 
driven on by their unmortified passions. For though 
there could never be a more glaring instance of per- 
verted justice than the condemnation of Christ our 
Lord, yet it is by no means a solitary one but has been 
repeated over and over again down to this very day. 
Even persons consecrated to the service of God and 
bound to the pursuit of Perfection, unless they keep 
a continual and stern watch over their mind and 
heart, may frequently fall into more or less grievous 
faults against Fraternal Charity. They may do so 
by entertaining rash suspicions, by harboring unkind 
feelings, by passing uncalled-for criticisms, by utter- 
ing offensive remarks, by exaggerating personal de- 
fects, by making false accusations, by discountenanc- 
ing laudible projects, by thwarting good works, and 
in a hundred other ways. Worse still if such un- 
mortified, uncharitable Religious assume the mask of 
outward decorum and effusive piety, and, though con- 
tinually swayed by their prejudices and preposses- 
sions, their aversions and sympathies, are ever ready 
to maintain that they are seeking nothing but the 
salvation of souls and the greater glory of God. It is 
an evil to which we all are more or less prone, because 
as yet no one is perfectly truthful and humble, no one 
utterly unselfish and detached; and it is this evil in 
particular which we should learn to abhor and uproot 
while considering the Rejection of Christ our Lord. 
For as often as we think, speak, or act, to the detri- 



KEJECTION AND CRUCIFIXION 315 

ment of our brother, we are assisting the High Priests 
in their persecution and joining Pilate in his con- 
demnation of the Son of God. " Amen I say to you, 
as long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, 
you did it to Me." But to abhor and uproot an evil 
that is within us, means to practise Self-Contempt 
and Self-Denial, and this in turn is certainly the fit- 
test reparation we can offer for past offenses against 
Fraternal Charity as well as the best preparation we 
can make to obtain the grace of bearing opposition 
and injustice, after the example and for the sake of 
Jesus, our Heavenly King. 

Second Point. The Crucifixion. 

It was now nearly noon. The sky, bright all morn- 
ing, began to darken, a thick haze seemed to be gather- 
ing from all around, like a veil drawn by a mysterious 
hand to hide from Heaven the crime about to be con- 
summated on earth. Not a breath of air was stirring 
and the heat was suffocating. Dragged, rather than 
led, by the soldiers that formed the guard, and fol- 
lowed by the two criminals who had been designated 
to die with Him, our Divine Lord reached at last the 
bare and level top of the rocky mound, just outside 
the Gate of Judgment, called Golgotha or Calvary. 
It was situated right near one of the most frequented 
thoroughfares of the city and, on this account, had 
been selected for this solemn execution. 

Simon, the Cyrenean, threw down the heavy Cross 
which he had been compelled by the soldiers to carry 
after our Savior; and the executioners made their 
final preparations to do their grewsome work. 
Amongst the Jews it was customary to give those 
about to be put to death, a drink of wine mixed with 
myrrh or some other narcotic, in order if not alto- 



316 SEVENTH DAY 

gether to deaden at least to lessen somewhat the acute- 
ness of their torments. Also on this occasion the 
usual cup had been prepared by some charitable per- 
sons, but our Lord, taking only a few drops to taste 
its bitterness, gently declined to avail Himself of this 
only means of relief. And now He was once more dis- 
robed by the soldiers. It was indeed a pitiful sight, 
that delicate Body all bruised and lacerated by the 
scourge, now bleeding afresh through the violence 
with which His garments were torn off, and trembling 
from extreme weakness at the outrage He was thus 
made to suffer before the vast multitude. 

But without uttering a word of complaint or wait- 
ing for a command, Jesus stretched Himself out on 
the instrument of His last and most terrible agony. 
The executioners briskly secured His arms and wrists 
with ropes to the crosspiece, then took their large- 
headed spikes, planted the points on the palms of the 
hands and, with a few sharp blows, nailed these to 
the wood. The blood gushed forth, the fingers bent 
inward, the knees drew up, the eyes filled with tears, 
and a soft moan betrayed the intensity of the pain. 
It was now the turn of the feet. A nervous shudder 
passed through the silent Victim, as the executioners 
forcibly extended the legs along the main beam of the 
Cross. But what did they care, accustomed as they 
were to such spasms? Whilst two of them held down 
the feet in the required position, the other two quickly 
drove in the remaining nails. Then they fastened 
to the top-piece the tablet bearing in Latin, in Greek, 
and in Hebrew, the inscription, " Jesus of Nazareth, 
King of the Jews." Their task was now really done, 
but they were not yet satisfied. That title, " King of 
the Jews," reminded them of the crown of thorns 
which, probably, had been removed to strip our Lord 



REJECTION AND CRUCIFIXION 317 

of His seamless undergarment. They picked it up 
and pressed it down upon His head, whilst He uttered 
that most sublime prayer : " Father, forgive them, 
for they know not what they do." 

Jesus was now suffering all the frightful torment, 
all the horrible ignominy of Crucifixion, the full pen- 
alty demanded by the Divine Justice for our sins. 
His whole Body writhed in a natural effort to find 
a less painful posture on that awful Cross. The chest 
expanded to inhale air, the head fell forward, and in 
turn imparted a violent shock to the arms. Then the 
convulsion passed downward depressing the loins, 
bending the knees, and ending in the feet, whose con- 
tracted toes scratched the wood. The blood from the 
wounds in His hands ran in streams along His out- 
stretched arms and down His mangled Body, till 
mingling with that which flowed from the wounds in 
His feet, it drenched the ground below. His heart 
palpitated irregularly, His brain was burning with 
the heat of fever, His entrails were consumed with 
thirst, deep sighs issued from between His parched 
and livid lips, whilst His tearful and wide opened eyes 
seemed to implore a little compassion. 

Compassion! Not from the High Priests, His ec- 
clesiastical superiors, who gloated to see the disgrace 
and agony of their Victim and even now assailed Him 
with bitter sarcasm ; not from the fanatic multitude, 
His own people, who saw in Him That hung upon 
the tree, as they read in the Scripture, only the ac- 
cursed of God; not from the Roman legionaries, His 
executioners, for they were too well inured to scenes of 
torture and bloodshed. Mary, His tender, loving 
Mother stood there under the Cross of her Innocent 
Son, but her presence could serve only to intensify 
the anguish of His most Affectionate Heart, And the 



318 SEVENTH DAY 

Eternal Father, the Adorable Trinity? Oh! Jesus 
had offered Himself as a holocaust for our sins, and 
He did not wish for any mitigation of the punishment, 
which the Infinite Wisdom and Goodness desired Him 
to undergo for the redemption of the guilty race of 
Adam. Far from it. Even now His Sacred Heart 
was yearning for more torture and anguish, if this 
could be conducive to the glory of the Divine Majesty 
or the salvation of mankind. Men had rebelled 
against their Creator, and Jesus longed to reconcile 
His brethren, longed to set them the example of sub- 
mission and conformity to the most Holy Will of God, 
by becoming obedient even to the death of the Cross. 
And thus He hung there for three, three long hours, 
an outcast, mocked, reviled, abandoned, and cursed. 
" My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? " 
O agony of mercy and of love! 

Third Point. All these Torments and all this Ig- 
nominy Christ suffered for my Sins. 

Alas! I too have often rebelled against my Sover- 
eign Lord, as often as I violated His Holy Law, as 
often as I resisted duly constituted authority, as often 
as I yielded to my wicked passions, as often as I 
committed sin; and for each of these countless acts 
of rebellion, Jesus suffered the unspeakable ignominy 
and intolerable torments of His Crucifixion. Even if 
there had been no other men to be redeemed but me, 
He would still have welcomed these horrible pains 
and these yet more horrible outrages and this infinitely 
horrible dereliction, with the same Divine Avidity, 
for me alone. " He loved me and delivered Himself 
for me." (Gal. 2:20.) All this, then, He willingly 
sustained on account of my sins, to expiate my loath- 
some sensuality, to atone for my senseless pride, to 



REJECTION AND CRUCIFIXION 319 

blot out my foul rebellion, to free me from everlast- 
ing death in the fire of Hell, to bring me to eternal 
life, to the bliss and glory of Heaven ! All this, then, 
He embraced for love of me, a mere nothing, a vile 
wretch, a despicable sinner; He, my Creator, my Re- 
deemer, my God ! And what have I done for love of 
Him? During so many years spent in the world? 
during so many more years passed in Religion? 
What then must I not do and suffer for Him in the 
future? from this very moment till my dying 
breath? I have my Vows, I have my Rules, I have 
my Resolutions. At the foot of Thy Cross, O my 
Jesus, I promise Thee once more to observe them, 
henceforth, with the utmost fidelity and generosity, 
to seek in all things my greater humiliation and morti- 
fication, and to grasp every opportunity of bearing 
poverty, contempt, and affliction, simply that I may 
become like to Thee, my Crucified Love. O Mary, my 
Mother, grant me to share in the anguish and disgrace 
of thy Divine Son, grant me to be nailed with Him to 
the Cross. 

Triple Colloquy with the Blessed Virgin, with our 
Adorable Savior, and with the Eternal Father; im- 
ploring mainly three graces : first, the grace of ardent 
contrition and detestation for my many sins but es- 
pecially for those against Fraternal Charity; sec- 
ondly, the grace of doing daily all the penance I can 
and of continually advancing in the love of the Cross ; 
thirdly, the grace of constantly keeping before my 
mind and tenderly cherishing in my heart the image 
of my Crucified Spouse. 



A. M. D. G. 



" MY CHILD, GIVE ME THY HEART." 



EIGHTH DAY 



special patron : St. Theresa. 

motto : " God is charity." — 1 John 4 :16. 

spirit : Perfect love of friendship 

reading: Imitation; Bk. Ill, C. 5, 21, 22, 47, 49. 
Bk. IV, C. 3, 5, 13, 17. 
Fourth Gospel ; C. 20. 
Apocalypse; C. 21. 



Strive, by deeper recollection and greater fervor, 
to make up for any deficiencies on previous days. 
Complete and memorize your Resolutions. Keep 
your heart full of heavenly affection and holy joy. 



THE RESURRECTION 

Introductory Remarks. — As we now enter upon 
the Fourth Week, or last period, of the Retreat, St. 
Ignatius recommends to us three things ; first, to think 
of what is calculated to cause a holy cheerfulness and 
joy, as for instance, Heaven; secondly, to avail our- 
selves of the light, the weather, and so forth, in so far 
as we judge that these things can help us to rejoice in 
our Creator and Lord ; and thirdly, to use moderation 
in everything instead of practising penance. This, 
however, does not mean that we should in the least 
relax in pursuing the object of these Spiritual Exer- 
cises. On the contrary, precisely because we are near- 
ing the end of our Retreat, we should redouble our 
efforts to confirm our determination of walking hence- 
forth in the footsteps of our Holy Founders and 
Patron Saints, and to express this our determination 
in a set of practical Resolutions regarding the perfect 
observance of our Rules and the generous embracing 
of hardship and contempt. 

Subject of this Meditation.— After Christ had ex- 
pired on the Cross, His blissful Soul, united to the 
Divinity, descended into Limbo to console the spirits 
of the Just, while His sacred Body, likewise united to 
the Divinity, was resting in the sepulcher. But hav- 
ing risen again on the morning of the third day, our 
Blessed Lord, appeared in body and soul, to His most 
Holy Mother. 



322 EIGHTH DAY 

Composition of Place.— The sepulcher, its con- 
struction and arrangement; also the dwelling of our 
Lady and, in particular, the room she occupied. 

Petition. — "To be intensely glad, and to rejoice 
exceedingly in such great glory and bliss of Christ our 
Lord." — The grace we are directed by St. Ignatius 
to ask in this Meditation, is nothing less than a most 
pure, holy, and ardent love of friendship, causing us 
to look upon the joy and bliss of our Savior as our 
own, and urging us to immolate ourselves, in con- 
tinual labor, mortification, and humiliation, for His 
Greater Glory, since not only the spiritual Improve- 
ment of our neighbor, but also our own progress in 
Perfection, as well as our future reward in Heaven, 
will serve to complete the everlasting Triumph of 
Christ our King. 

First Point. The Descent of the Soul of Christ into 
Limbo. 

Immediately after the death of our Lord and Sav- 
ior, while His gory and mangled Body is still hang- 
ing on the Cross, His Soul is flooded and overwhelmed 
with torrents of Heavenly Delights. Now all suffer- 
ing has ceased for that Soul which only a few moments 
ago was plunged in an ocean of bitterest desolation. 
Now also the Divinity, far from concealing Itself, so 
to speak, as during the Passion, manifests more fully 
than ever Its intimate presence. Not only does the 
Soul of Christ enjoy the beatific vision as before, but 
all limitations to the admirable effects of that vision 
are now removed. 

It is impossible for us even to form a faint idea of 
this Supreme Happiness and Glory, which most em- 
phatically, in the words of the Apostle, no eye has 



THE RESURRECTION 323 

seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has ever con- 
ceived. The only thing we can do is to imagine what- 
ever there is most delightful for the human spirit, 
and then to say to ourselves, that all this, multiplied 
and intensified a hundred thousand times, would 
hardly be more than a feeble shadow or a dim reflec- 
tion of the blessedness enjoyed by the Soul of Jesus. 
And what especially renders this beatification and 
glorification so inconceivably noble, is the fact that 
it is the reward earned by the hardships and sorrows 
of the Sacred Humanity, the recompense merited par- 
ticularly by the anguish, torment, and ignominy of 
the Passion. I will try to enter into the sentiments 
of that most Blessed Soul, and to rejoice with it as if 
its bliss were my own, and then reflecting that a 
similar Happiness is laid up for me too, if I remain 
faithful and generous in following my King to Cal- 
vary, I will draw additional joy from the hope of thus 
contributing also my humble share to His Eternal 
Glory. 

Yet what should appeal to us as even more admir- 
able, is that the Sacred Soul of Jesus hastens at once 
to exercise the office of Consoler. This very moment 
when Christ enters upon His everlasting Triumph 
as the Conqueror of Death and Hell, far from resting 
in the enjoyment of His incomparable bliss and 
glory, He thinks of nothing but consoling His poor 
servants, the Just of the Old Law. His Loving Soul, 
then, hypostatically united to the Person of the Word, 
immediately descends into Limbo to bring to the Holy 
Patriarchs the glad tidings of their Redemption, to 
admit them to the full privileges of Friends and 
Brothers, and to make them share in Its own Happi- 
ness. Does it not seem as if, without their partici- 
pation, Christ considers His own Bliss and Glory as 



324 EIGHTH DAY 

imperfect and incomplete? O tenderness of the 
Heart of Jesus ! Shall I ever again yield to thoughts 
of discouragement or despondency? For what He 
did then, He still does now, dwelling with us in pov- 
erty and obscurity, alas! even in loneliness and ob- 
livion, exposed to insults and profanation, as a Pris- 
oner of Love, in the August Sacrament of the Altar. 
Let me figure to myself this Limbo, the abode of 
all those who died in the grace of God under the Old 
Dispensation. It is not the pit of Hell, therefore, 
but a place of profound peace and patient longing. 
The imminent death of Jesus has been revealed to 
them, and they are all lovingly awaiting His coming. 
There He appears suddenly in their midst. What im- 
mense joy, what unspeakable gladness, what inde- 
scribable scenes of gratitude and love! Limbo is 
instantaneously transformed into Paradise; all these 
Souls are admitted to the beatific vision, to a share in 
the Bliss and Glory of Heaven, a share exactly pro- 
portional to their labors and sufferings on earth. 
Adam and Eve are there, the first to welcome their 
Divine Descendant and Kedeemer. What do they 
say? How do they feel now about their long pen- 
ance? Next come the saintly Patriarchs, Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob; then Moses and Aaron and a host 
of Levites; David and several of his successors on 
the throne of Israel; the holy prophets that foretold 
their Savior's birth, His miracles, His passion, and 
His triumph, Isaias, Jeremias, Daniel, Ezechiel; the 
noble martyrs of the Old Covenant, Eleazar and the 
seven Machabees together with their heroic mother; 
then those who immediately preceded our Lord or had 
even known Him personally on earth, His grand- 
parents Joachim and Anna, the devout old man Sim- 
eon, the Innocents of Bethlehem, His beloved pre- 



THE RESURRECTION 325 

cursor John the Baptist, and, dearest of all, His own 
Foster-Father Joseph. 

I will strive to enter into the feelings of these Souls 
and to share in their exultation. Now they possess 
the ample reward for their faith in the Divine 
Promises, for their fidelity in the accomplishment of 
the Law, for their patience amid all the trials and 
hardships of their earthly sojourn. How they con- 
gratulate our Lord in terms of the most ardent devo- 
tion, how they are filled with heavenly delight with 
Him, through Him, and in Him; with Him, as their 
Brother; through Him, as their Redeemer; and in 
Him, as their God ! 

Second Point. The Resurrection. 

The third day from the death of our Lord is now 
about to dawn ; this is the moment set for the fulfil- 
ment of the prophecies. The Soul of Jesus, accom- 
panied by all the Just Souls delivered from Limbo, 
repairs to the sepulcher, a tomb-chamber hewn out of 
the solid rock. I contemplate together with them 
that sacred Body wrapped in cloths and extended on 
the stone shelf. There It lies cold and livid, but even 
in death preserving a captivating loveliness and over- 
powering grandeur. I count with many a tear the 
terrible lacerations inflicted by the scourge, I kiss 
with the utmost reverence those cruel wounds in the 
hands and feet, and then, filled with grief and affec- 
tion, I dare approach my sinful lips to that wide gash 
made in the side by the soldier's lance and penetrating 
even far into the Sacred Heart. But who could 
describe what sentiments of pity, gratitude, and love 
animate these Holy Souls, whilst they behold this 
awful spectacle? 

But now the Soul of Jesus unites itself once more 



326 EIGHTH DAY 

to the Body. The same instant all is changed. The 
Body rises up, every trace of suffering is gone, It is 
erect, full of life and beauty and majesty. I will con- 
template especially the countenance of my Savior, so 
expressive of goodness, of meekness, and of love. I 
will look again at those five glorious trophies, and 
particularly at the large cleft in His Adorable 
Heart, through which now issues a beam of rays of 
dazzling brightness. I will consider the wonderful 
qualities of this Kisen Body: how It is agile like a 
spirit that in one instant can traverse the entire 
world ; subtile so as to be able to surmount all material 
obstacles; impassible, that is, no longer subject to 
any corruption or suffering. What is there left now 
of all the torments and ignominy of the Passion? 
Only one thing, Everlasting Glory. This glorifica- 
tion and this blessedness of the Body are the conse- 
quences of what It has undergone during Its mortal 
existence, as the instrument of our redemption, as the 
faithful servant of the Soul. A similar bliss awaits 
also my body, if it is a means of salvation to my soul, 
by prayer, humility, mortification, obedience, and 
charity. 

I should contemplate also the effects of the Resur- 
rection of Christ our Lord on the Saints of the Old 
Covenant. What admiration and what joy! They 
all come to adore this glorified Body of the Son of 
God ; and with unbounded trust they look forward to 
the moment of their own Resurrection ; unless we pre- 
fer to hold the opinion that they too were, at that same 
hour, reunited to their risen bodies. But, however 
this may be, I will strive to take part in their dispo- 
sitions and to fill my heart with a like confidence, 
in order to gather strength and ardor for the remain- 
ing combats of life. 



THE RESURRECTION 327 

Third Point. Jesus Appears to His Beloved 
Mother. 

I will first figure to myself the state of Mary's 
Heroic Spirit during the time that elapsed after the 
burial of Jesus, and I will endeavor to realize the sad- 
ness of Her Spotless Heart, the Heart of that most 
Affectionate Mother, as she goes in memory over the 
painful scenes at which she has assisted. So should 
I also, after her example, ever revolve in my mind 
and heart the Passion which my Adorable Master 
underwent not only for my love but also in conse- 
quence of my sins. But meanwhile her faith, her 
hope, and her love have been growing all along; and 
as the third day nears, she expects, without perhaps 
knowing how it will come about, the fulfilment of 
the predictions made by her Divine Son. Though not 
present at the Resurrection, she is supernaturally en- 
lightened and consoled while this most glorious 
miracle is taking place. 

But Jesus is coming without delay to His Beloved 
Mother. We may imagine that Mary first hears the 
sweet song of Angels : " O Queen of heaven, rejoice." 
Then a soft radiance fills the apartment where she is 
praying, and in the midst of this preternatural light 
appears her Son in all His ineffable Beauty and 
Majesty. He approaches and greets her as He used 
to do of old at Nazareth, only with more manifest and 
tender affection. Mary prostrates herself at His feet 
to adore Him, but He raises her up and presses her to 
His Sacred Heart. I will reverently assist at this 
interview between Jesus and Mary; I will listen to 
their heavenly conversation in order to realize some- 
what the feelings of their Hearts, so desirous of the 
Glory of God and the Redemption of the World ; and 
I will strive to taste a drop of that unspeakable Happi- 



328 EIGHTH DAY 

ness which is bursting forth from the Most Loving 
Heart of Jesus and inundates the Immaculate Heart 
of Mary. I can also see the Saints whom our Blessed 
Lord has introduced to her as to their Queen; how 
lovingly they congratulate the Holy Mother of their 
Savior; and I can hear Elizabeth exclaim once more 
with rapturous joy, " Blessed art thou amongst 
women." Yet all this is only a small instalment of 
the reward that awaits Mary for the sacrifice she has 
made of Jesus on Calvary. What an encouragement 
for me to be generous and persevering in sacrificing 
all my lower affections for my own sanctification and 
for the salvation of my neighbor, for the love of my 
Adorable Spouse, for the sake of the Kingdom of 
Heaven ! 

Jesus, after a while, withdraws His visible pres- 
ence, but leaves the Blessed Virgin wonderfully com- 
forted and sanctified. This fact should remind me 
never to attach myself even to Spiritual Consolations. 
What I must seek in my prayer is love of obedience, 
love of mortification, love of humiliation, love of 
apostolic toil, love of the Cross, love of Jesus Cruci- 
fied. What I must look for, above everything else, is 
real holiness, close union with my Divine Lord, the 
perfect accomplishment of His Will, through all the 
trials and hardships of this present world, ever long- 
ing to share in His anguish and ignominy, yet ever 
abounding in gladness on account of His Infinite Bliss 
and Glory. Far from resting in any consolation as 
an end, I must use it only as a means to reach the 
grace I am seeking, which is that of rejoicing so 
intensely in the Measureless Triumph of my Lord and 
Master as to make it in a true sense my own, and of 
promoting it more and more at the sacrifice of every- 
thing I have, my energies, my talents, my will, my 



THE RESURRECTION 329 

judgment, my liberty, my health, my limbs, and my 
very life. 

Colloquy. — Rejoicing and exulting with all the 
Saints in the Ineffable Happiness and Glory of Jesus, 
as also in the Wonderful Consolations bestowed on 
Mary, I will beg for grace to follow them generously 
in suffering and humiliation, that thus I may likewise 
share in their Everlasting Triumph and Heavenly 
Bliss. — Our Father. 



THE ASCENSION 

Subject of this Meditation.— After Christ our Lord 
had shown Himself for forty days to the Apostles, 
speaking of the Kingdom of God, He commanded them 
to await in Jerusalem the coming of the Holy Spirit 
Whom He had promised them on the eve of His Pas- 
sion. Then having led them forth to Mount Olivet, 
He was raised up in their presence, and a cloud re- 
ceived Him out of their sight. While they were still 
gazing after Him two angels stood by them and said : 
" Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to 
heaven? This Jesus Who is taken up from you into 
heaven, shall so come as you have seen Him going into 
heaven." — Acts 1 :11. 

Composition of Place. — The road leading from 
Jerusalem through Bethany up to the summit of 
Mount Olivet. 

Petition. — To rejoice intensely in this great glory 
of Christ our Lord, and to labor strenuously to con- 
tribute to it also my share. 

First Point. Circumstances Preceding the Ascen- 
sion. 

After the Resurrection, our Adorable Redeemer 
continued yet for forty days to converse with His 
Apostles, strengthening them for their future labors 
and combats, and instructing them more fully about 
the Kingdom of God, the One, Holy, Catholic Church. 
Also with us our Divine Lord has deigned to converse 



THE ASCENSION 331 

intimately during this Ketreat, enlightening us as to 
our failings in the past and inspiring us with holy 
and practical Resolutions for the future. Like those 
privileged Disciples, we too have experienced anew 
how great is His Love and how tender His Solicitude 
for such as have dedicated themselves entirely to His 
Service. Now these peaceful days, however, are 
nearly over, and the time is coming for the contest, for 
carrying out our good resolves. If we wish to be suc- 
cessful in our efforts and victorious in the fight, we 
must study the measures and adopt the means best 
calculated to insure, for ever after, this humble and 
loving converse of our hearts with God. Jesus, our 
Heavenly Master, is still with us in the Holy Eucha- 
rist. There especially we must keep constantly united 
to Him. For otherwise we shall infallibly fall back 
into our former habits of tepidity and sin. It is only 
by this incessant communication with our Blessed 
Savior that we can obtain a more and more distinct 
knowledge of His Holy Will in reference to our per- 
sonal sanctification, and a proportional increase of 
grace to correspond to His Adorable Designs. Often, 
therefore, let us cry out to Him, " Speak, O Lord, for 
Thy servant listens." And again, "Let Thy voice 
sound in my ears, O Jesus, for Thy voice is sweet and 
Thy face comely." 

St. Luke also states that our Lord commanded His 
Disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to await the 
coming of the Holy Ghost, according as He had 
promised them on the eve of His Passion. Since 
Jerusalem is interpreted to mean City of Peace, we 
may here consider that the only sure way forever to 
preserve true peace of soul is by manfully resisting 
our passions, our sensuality, our cowardice, our am- 
bition, our pride; by diligently observing obedience, 



332 EIGHTH DAY 

silence, and recollection; by never ponring out our 
heart on our studies, our occupations, our projects, 
our relatives, our acquaintances, our pupils; but by 
seeking everywhere opportunities of humiliation and 
suffering as so many gems and jewels to offer to our 
Heavenly Spouse. Again, to us also our Lord has 
made the same promise of the Holy Ghost, and though 
we have already received that Divine Spirit particu- 
larly in the Sacrament of Confirmation, yet we may 
cause Him to dwell in our souls daily with greater 
intimacy and efficacy, and to communicate to us in 
ever greater abundance His seven gifts: fear, piety, 
knowledge, fortitude, counsel, understanding, wis- 
dom. This we can do very effectually by earnest 
entreaties and fervent aspirations. Oh! how sorely 
we need His Light and His Fire, to dispel our dark- 
ness and our pride, to consume our coldness and our 
selfishness. 

Some of the Disciples asked, " Lord, wilt Thou at 
this time restore the kingdom to Israel ? " How 
worldly-minded these men still were! And such my 
Divine Master might also consider me, seeing that, 
after so many wonderful proofs of His love, I am still 
so strongly attached to the concerns of earth and so 
little devoted to the interests of Heaven. Urged on, 
then, by a salutary confusion and a holy indignation, 
I must beg my Adorable Lord to tear from my heart, 
even if it should have to be all bruised and broken, 
to tear from it every obstacle to His Glory, every dis- 
position at variance with His Will : my uncharitable- 
ness, my impatience, my vanity, my self-complacency, 
my precipitation, my meddlesomeness, my incon- 
stancy, my remissness, as well as all national pre- 
possessions and narrow prejudices. 

But Jesus answered : " It is not for you to know the 



THE ASCENSION 333 

times or moments which the Father hath put in His 
power. But you shall receive the Holy Ghost com- 
ing upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me in 
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even 
to the uttermost parts of the earth." This is also 
our appointed task. Leaving to Divine Providence 
the time and manner of the final establishment and 
exaltation of the Heavenly Kingdom, refraining from 
all useless speculations about the future trials and 
triumphs of the Church, and setting aside all the 
cravings and apprehensions of our corrupt nature, of 
our selfishness and our pride, we must go and render 
testimony to Jesus our Lord before the whole world, 
by the Holiness of a life and the efficacy of a Religion 
that are in perfect accordance with His Teachings, 
Counsels, and Examples. " In Jerusalem," that is in 
the midst of my Religious Companions, " in Judea," 
among the faithful members of the Church, "in 
Samaria," amongst the partisans of heresy and 
schism, " even to the uttermost parts of the earth," in 
the very midst of our modern infidels and civilized 
pagans. Are we now prepared, or rather determined 
to give this testimony better than we have done here- 
tofore? 

Second Point. The Ascension. 

Having thus spoken to enlighten and animate His 
beloved Disciples, Jesus led them out to Mount Olivet. 
Our Lord was to enter into the fulness of His Glory 
from the summit of the hill at the foot of which He 
had entered upon the agony of His Passion: a very 
significant fact, in keeping with the words which He 
had addressed to the two devout men on the road to 
Emmaus : " Ought not Christ to have suffered these 
things and so to enter into His Glory?" How de- 



334 EIGHTH DAY 

lightful this journey to the Mountain of Olives com- 
pared with the one made just six weeks before to the 
Garden of Gethsemane ! Let us, then, constantly bear 
in mind this great principle, namely, that if we wish 
to triumph with Jesus, we must embrace mortification 
and humiliation, suffering and contempt, for His love 
and reverence, and in union with His Sacred Heart. 

" And lifting up His hands," so we read again, " He 
blessed them." How did He bless them? Undoubt- 
edly, with the Holy Sign of the Cross, and ever since 
the Cross has been an instrument of Blessing and an 
emblem of Victory. The blessing of Jesus meant for 
Mary a prolonged exile on this earth for the good of 
the faithful and for her own greater sanctity; for 
Magdalen, a life of prayer, penance, and charity ; for 
Peter, the burdensome government of the entire 
Church ending in a death by crucifixion; for all the 
other Apostles, labors, disappointments, persecution, 
and martyrdom. But the blessing of Jesus meant, 
besides, an abundant outpouring of heavenly grace, a 
notable increase of light and strength. 

What is the blessing of Jesus for me at the close of 
these Holy Exercises? Surely, some kind of Cross, 
some office or trial, under which nature will worry 
and chafe and rebel, but accompanied by special helps 
and favors. Let me accept it beforehand, with humil- 
ity, confidence, alacrity, and generosity. And when- 
ever I bless myself, henceforth, with this sacred token 
of Man's Bedemption and God's Love, I will strive to 
remember and to renew my Besolution of being spirit- 
ually nailed with Jesus to the Cross. This is to be 
the epitome of all my lights, the scope of all my 
efforts, the fruit of my whole Betreat; and the very 
sign of the Cross or the mere sight of the Crucifix will 
be my constant remembrancer, reanimating and con- 



THE ASCENSION 335 

firming my determination to embrace every opportun- 
ity of self-denial and self-abasement. 

" And while they looked on, He was raised up, and a 
cloud received Him out of their sight." As Jesus, my 
Lord and Savior, rises up slowly and majestically, by 
His own power, I will follow Him in thought, I will 
contemplate the multitudes of Holy Souls and Blissful 
Angels that surround Him, I will penetrate as far as 
the eternal gates through which the King of Glory 
enters into His everlasting realm. How they swing 
open of their own accord to admit the triumphal pro- 
cession! Jesus ascends to the highest Heaven and 
occupies His throne at the right of the Eternal Father. 
As God, He always possessed infinite Bliss and Glory, 
as Man He has merited and conquered this universal 
Sovereignty by His sacred Passion and Death. How 
I ought to rejoice at this vision ! My whole life, from 
now on, ought to be but one hymn of gladness and ex- 
ultation, in accord with the rapturous, " Holy ! Holy ! 
Holy ! " of the Angelic Hosts and the Choirs of the 
Blessed. 

But there is also a throne being prepared for me, 
and since Jesus, my King, has opened the way, I can 
and I will merit it by following Him to the Cross, that 
thus I may complete His Bliss and Glory. Hence- 
forth, I must live only for Him. My heart must ever 
be with Him in Heaven. It must become more and 
more detached from all that is earthly, from all that is 
selfish ; more and more purified from every inordinate 
leaning, from every worldly affection. Suffering and 
contempt, oh! how welcome these ought to be to me, 
since they alone can confer on my soul this angelic 
purity, and make me live only for Jesus, my Adorable 
Spouse, on the Cross, in the Holy Eucharist, in 
Heaven. 



336 EIGHTH DAY 

Third Point. The Apostles after the Ascension. 

" And while they were beholding Him going up to 
Heaven," thus we read next, " two men stood by them 
in white garments." The Disciples should have liked 
to get one more glimpse of His Adorable Person, to 
gather one more word from His Sacred Lips, but this 
would not have been conformable to the Providence of 
God. When we receive heavenly consolation, we 
must not be so taken up with it as to remain of our 
free choice inactive and motionless. Divine favors 
are granted, not to make us rest, but to make us work. 
" You men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to 
Heaven ? " That is the question which I should put 
also to myself at the end of this spiritual Retreat, 
Our contemplations must yield practical results, our 
Exercises are to bear fruit. We must go and struggle 
and suffer and sacrifice ourselves unreservedly for the 
Glory of Jesus our Lord and for the Good of our 
Brethren. In other words, we must begin at once, 
with all the energy of our being, to carry out our Reso- 
lutions. For the time is getting short; only a few 
years remain, perhaps only a few days, after which 
" the night cometh when no man can work." 

" This Jesus Who is taken up from you into Heaven, 
shall so come as you have seen Him going into 
Heaven." These words are to be fulfilled for each of 
us at the close of our life, at the moment of our death, 
when of a sudden our soul disengaged from the bur- 
den of this corruptible body, will behold, in one intel- 
lectual flash, all the favors of God together with all 
her own doings, and will thus, indeed, see this Jesus, 
her Lord and Savior, how much He has loved her, how 
much He has suffered for her, how carefully He has 
watched, guided, and protected her all during this 
present period of probation, strife, and exile. Oh ! let 



THE ASCENSION 337 

us diligently prepare ourselves for that coming of our 
Divine Lover but also our Sovereign Judge. Let us 
long for this blessed moment, let us be thankful when 
our strength is undermined by toil and our body is 
broken down by sickness, since all this will only serve 
to hasten the union of our soul with God, her Eternal 
Spouse. 

" They adoring went back to Jerusalem with great 
joy." But meanwhile, — O consoling thought, O bliss- 
ful certainty ! — Jesus, though enthroned at the right 
hand of the Father Almighty, above all the hierarchies 
of Angels and Archangels, of Cherubim and Seraphim, 
is still thinking of me, His poor servant, with the most 
tender solicitude; more than this, He stays with me 
under the same roof in the Holy Eucharist, daily re- 
news for me the sacrifice of the Cross in every Holy 
Mass, daily deigns to descend into my heart by Holy 
Communion. Oh! what, then, can I do for Him? 
Just now I longed to die, — but no, I must long to live, 
long to labor, long to suffer, long to increase His 
Glory by my own sanctification, long to be forever the 
victim of His love. 

Colloquy with our Blessed Lord. Adoration, 
thanksgiving, petition. " Glory to God in the highest. 
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we adore Thee, we 
glorify Thee, we render thanks to Thee, because of Thy 
great glory, Lord Jesus Christ, Only-Begotten of the 
Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, King of Heaven; 
Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen." 
— Our Father. 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 

In What Love Consists. 

Love is not sentiment ; it consists in deeds more than 
in feelings and words, in fact, it is all action. Hence 
God, Who is the infinitely Pure Act, is also the infi- 
nitely Perfect Love. Love lies essentially in union of 
will. Everybody necessarily desires and seeks his 
own perfection, his own happiness; and therefore, if 
we love man,, we shall use every means in our power 
to procure him that perfection, that happiness. This 
is obviously to love one's neighbor as oneself. 

Considered in its motive, the love of our neighbor 
may be more or less noble. It is sensual, when we 
love him for the external qualities that please the 
senses, and it is intellectual, when we love him for 
his mental and moral endowments. All this is nat- 
ural love. Our affection, however, should be super- 
natural ; and this is the case when we love him because 
he reflects in these various gifts of body, mind, and 
spirit, the Adorable Attributes of the Creator ; or be- 
cause, by sanctifying grace and heavenly bliss, he 
actually participates in the Sovereign Excellence of 
God. Hence the love of God and the love of our 
neighbor are referred to the same virtue of Charity, 
since they have the same motive, namely the Inex- 
haustible Goodness, the Infinite Loveliness of the 
Most High, revealed to us by supernatural faith. It 
is evident that our love of self should be based on the 
same considerations, and this gives another and deeper 
meaning to the precept, " Love thy neighbor as thy- 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 339 

self." Even the body may and should be loved for the 
sake of God, because it is the instrument of the soul 
in promoting the Divine glory, because it is the temple 
of the Holy Ghost, sanctified by His presence, and be- 
cause it is destined to share in the everlasting bliss of 
Heaven. 

We must, then, ardently desire man's real good, his 
physical welfare, his mental development, his present 
sanctification, and his eternal beatitude. We must 
rejoice with him in so far as he attains these blessings 
and we must compassionate him, suffer with him, in 
proportion as he is deprived of them. His content- 
ment should be our contentment, his sorrow our sor- 
row, his glory our glory. Like the Apostle St. Paul, 
we ought to become weak to the weak, and all things 
to all. Yes, all things to all ; not all things to only a 
few, especially if this should be because of some sensi- 
ble attraction or natural sympathy. 

But if we sincerely and efficaciously wish our neigh- 
bor all true happiness, we shall strive to communicate 
to him whatever happiness we ourselves may already 
possess. Our strength will supply his weakness, our 
knowledge his ignorance, we shall share our food with 
the hungry, our refreshment with the thirsty, our rai- 
ment with the destitute ; or at least, availing ourselves 
of the numerous opportunities daily afforded by Com- 
munity Life, we shall in all these things leave the 
better part for those who may stand in greater need 
than ourselves. In short, we shall render to every- 
body, whether friend or enemy, every kind of service 
that it is in our power to give; always, of course, in 
due subordination of the material and temporal to the 
spiritual and eternal ; for, once more, our love must be 
supernatural, it must be founded in God, it must be 
Charity. 



340 EIGHTH DAY 

It was such Charity as this that impelled St. Peter 
Claver to tenderly embrace the poor Negro captives 
on their arrival at Cartagena, to nurse them, serve 
them, instruct them, and, in one word, to make him- 
self in everything their most abject and most devoted 
slave. Again it was this sincere Charity which ani- 
mated St. Ignatius Loyola, when he heard that his 
faithless countryman and companion, who some time 
before had robbed him of a sum of money necessary 
for his maintenance at the University of Paris, was 
lying dangerously sick, in utter destitution, at Kouen. 
At once he hastened, fasting and on foot, to the assist- 
ance of this poor wretch, a distance of some sixty 
miles, and not only lovingly waited on him all during 
his illness, but also procured for him, when restored to 
health, the means to return to Spain, and even pro- 
vided him with letters of recommendation. 

This is truly the virtue eulogized by the Great 
Apostle : " Charity is patient and obliging ; it is not 
envious, nor morose, nor arrogant, nor ostentatious; 
it is not selfish, nor irascible, nor resentful ; it takes 
no pleasure in what is evil, but dwells with joy on 
what is good ; it is ever ready to excuse, to believe, to 
hope, and to suffer." Does our Charity agree with 
this brief description? Does it tally with it exactly 
in every point? Happy, indeed, are we, if it does; 
for then, as the Beloved Disciple assures us, God 
abideth in our hearts. But if we still seek our own 
satisfaction to the detriment of our brother; if we 
have no regard for his comfort and well-being, and 
remain unconcerned about his interests; if we are 
blind to his good qualities and cannot bear with his 
defects; if we neglect to help with due humility to- 
wards his correction and prefer to make his faults 
the subject of conversation even during time of 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 341 

silence ; surely, we have great reason to fear that our 
love is more sentimental than solid, more human than 
divine. 

Whom to Love. 

We must love all those living outside the One True 
Church, in original or actual sin : heretics and schis- 
matics, Jews and Mohammedans, unbelievers and idol- 
aters. How many, many millions, in every division of 
the globe, are thus in imminent danger of damnation ! 
O what heartrending misery! their earthly existence 
full of unrest and suffering, and their future condition 
one of everlasting anguish and despair. Can we do 
nothing for them? Can our hearts remain unmoved 
and cold, whilst the Sacred Heart of Jesus is con- 
sumed with a most ardent longing for their salvation? 
Was it not for each one of these wretched souls, that 
He so lovingly embraced all the unutterable torment 
and infamy of His Passion and Death? It rests with 
us to apply the infinite merits of that Divine Holo- 
caust. For thus God has decreed in His most Wise 
and Loving Providence, that men are to be saved and 
sanctified by men. Glorious task, to be a partner of 
the Most High in this wonderful work of mercy ; to co- 
operate with Jesus, the Incarnate Word, in saving 
souls ; to be the pliant instrument of the Holy Spirit in 
the justification of our brethren ! 

Yet how few busy themselves about the accomplish- 
ment of this supreme duty? What have I done up to 
this? What am I going to do in the future? Let me 
beware lest I too should deserve that withering rebuke 
of the Master : " O wicked and slothful servant, thou 
oughtest to have committed my money to the banker, 
and at my coming I should have received my own with 
usury. Take ye away, therefore, the talent from 



342 EIGHTH DAY 

him and give it to him that hath ten talents, but the 
improfitable servant cast ye out into the exterior dark- 
ness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." 

On the other hand, how intensely grateful the Ador- 
able Heart of Jesus will feel towards those who bestir 
themselves to make known to men the fathomless 
depth and the boundless breadth of His Charity! 
How He will enrich them with His choicest graces! 
How His tenderest caresses will be lavished on these 
His true Disciples! How safe a refuge His most 
Merciful Heart will prove to them at the hour of 
death, and how delightful a paradise for all eternity ! 

But we should love still more all those who belong 
to Holy Church, those who are living in the state 
of Sanctifying Grace. These are, of course, much 
nearer to us than those outside the True Fold, because 
they are more closely united to Christ our Head ; and 
consequently we ought to love them more. First in 
our affection among the members of the Church comes 
the Holy Father, the Reigning Pope, Christ's Su- 
preme Vicar, and with him the College of Cardinals 
and the entire Catholic Hierarchy, particularly in 
this our own country. Next; all Priests and Reli- 
gious. Thirdly; our parents, relatives and bene- 
factors on earth, as well as the Holy Souls in 
Purgatory. Lastly; all the other Faithful in every 
clime and nation and social condition. How desirous 
we should be to promote their sanctification and sal- 
vation, to secure their temporary well-being and 
eternal happiness. 

Again, we should be animated with a very tender 
love for our fellow Religious. We must consider that 
every member of our holy Institute is truly our 
brother, much more so, incomparably more so, than 
those who have the same natural mother. Do we 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 343 

foster towards each one a truly fraternal affection? 
Are we not, on the one hand, lacking in sympathy to- 
wards them, without interest in their work, without 
concern for their afflictions, attributing their bodily 
ailments to a disordered imagination and setting 
down their personal views to an unworthy motive? 
Do we not, perhaps, speak disparagingly of them to 
companions or outsiders, in private or in public, be- 
littling their doings, ridiculing their opinions, and 
maligning their intentions? and this not merely 
through thoughtlessness or levity but even through 
envy or resentment? Oh! may there never be found 
in this Community any Religious to whom St. Paul 
might have referred when he wrote to Timothy, 
" But if any man has no care of his own, especially 
of those of his house, he hath denied the faith and is 
worse than an infidel." On the other hand, are we 
not unduly biased by natural qualities, do we not 
pay too much attention to outward looks or inward 
accomplishments? These commonplace things should 
not be allowed to enter into comparison with the sub- 
lime qualifications of a chosen disciple of Jesus, a 
beloved client of Mary, a fellow soldier for Heaven, 
striving together with us, by the same Life and the 
same Vows, after the Highest Sanctity, after the 
most Perfect Charity, after the Greatest Glory of 
God, and who like ourselves, as we firmly hope, will 
one day be admitted to share for all eternity in the 
Bliss and Triumph of our Adorable Savior. But 
even from amongst the members of our own Institute 
we should single out all Superiors, cherishing for 
them an altogether special love joined to a deep super- 
natural reverence as the accredited Interpreters of 
the Divine Will. And while exercising our Charity 
towards the living, let us also be mindful of those 



344 EIGHTH DAY 

who are still detained in Purgatory. What can we 
do to bring them sooner to the inconceivable bliss of 
Heaven? 

How to Love. 

By Fervent Prayer and Personal Sanctification. — 
If we can do nothing else, at least let us pray, pray 
earnestly, pray continually, especially at Mass and 
Communion, pray with that childlike importunity 
and holy vehemence which are so pleasing to our 
Heavenly Father. Let us be convinced of this, that 
if any of these millions of sinners are to save their 
souls, it will be owing principally to prayer, humble 
prayer, confident prayer, ardent prayer, persevering 
prayer. Why can we not take the habit of daily offer- 
ing ourselves in Meditation, Mass, and Communion, 
with the utmost energy of which we are capable, to suf- 
fer anything and everything for the good of souls, for 
the conversion of sinners, for the sanctification of the 
faithful, for the advancement of our Companions and 
Superiors? And our prayer will be the more effica- 
cious, the closer we become united to God, by the 
practice of mortification and the bearing of humilia- 
tion. 

Oh! to think that on our own Holiness — on the 
Holiness of each one of us — Divine Providence has 
made depend the Salvation of some and the Sancti- 
fication of others, who, unless we reach the intended 
degree of Perfection, will not be saved, will not be 
sanctified! And the greater our Holiness, the more 
souls we shall help render eternally happy. Our oc- 
cupations, our infirmities, our age, far from being 
insurmountable obstacles on the path of Perfection, 
as we fondly fancy, are in reality, every one of them, 
powerful aids and indispensable means. Can there 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 345 

be any consideration more apt to inflame our souls 
with an impetuous and insatiable longing after Holi- 



ness 



Again, it is by lowly and ardent Supplication and 
by diligently gaining the Indulgences attached to 
various devotions, that we can give immense assist- 
ance to the Holy Souls in Purgatory, abate the fierce- 
ness of those cleansing flames, relieve the mortal 
sadness of that spiritual prison, and usher them into 
the blissful presence of our Heavenly Father. Since 
Holy Church is so merciful, so compassionate, and so 
prodigal of her supernatural treasures, why can we 
not avail ourselves somewhat better of her astound- 
ing liberality? It is so easy to gain Indulgences, even 
plenary ones ; all that is needed on our part is a little 
care and a valid intention. Let us frequently and 
from our heart renew the so-called " Heroic Act of 
Charity for the Souls in Purgatory,' ' and let us make 
sure for the future not to lose a single opportunity 
of consoling these poor, suffering Brethren of ours, 
these dearly beloved Children of God. 

By our Labors and Sufferings. — We are busy peo- 
ple, we are working the whole day, and every day of 
the year. Now, all this labor, whatever be its char- 
acter, whether corporal or mental, obscure or con- 
spicuous, should be directed toward one single object, 
the Salvation and Sanctification of Souls. But oh! 
how often we forget this, how seldom we animate our- 
selves with this grand thought, this certain truth, 
that by our cooking, serving, sewing, and patching, 
or by our plowing, planting, harvesting, and pruning, 
or by our study, teaching, bookkeeping, and corre- 
spondence, we are all cooperating in that most Divine 
work of Redemption, all contributing to the Justifi- 
cation and Perfection of Souls, who otherwise would 



346 EIGHTH DAY 

remain unjustified and imperfect. If we did but 
think of this, how joyful and light all this toil would 
become; how little we should mind heat and cold, 
inconvenience and fatigue, illness and accident; how 
desirous we should be of achieving real success in our 
appointed tasks ; and how determined to reach in the 
discharge of our duties the very summit of Holy 
Obedience! All for the sake of Jesus, and for the 
good of those souls whom He loves so tenderly. 

But, besides, we must always be on the lookout to 
render everybody all sorts of services, to assist our Ke- 
ligious Companions and our fellow men in a thousand 
little ways, with sincere humility and unobtrusive 
kindness ; prompt to enlighten and correct the erring 
with prudent affability and hopeful perseverance ; 
ready to encourage and console the downcast with deli- 
cate sweetness and tactful simplicity ; and intent, on 
every occasion and by every lawful means, upon mak- 
ing those round about us as contented and happy as 
possible. Oh ! let us not despise these apparent trifles. 
They constituted the ordinary practice of the Saints 
to win souls to God, nor are we to imagine for a mo- 
ment that our Blessed Lord acted differently. We 
shall never perform great things unless we first apply 
ourselves to do these little things. In fact, the great- 
est thing that most of us, if not all, will ever be 
called upon to do, is precisely to be constant and 
diligent and enthusiastic in doing these apparently 
little things. Each of these trifling actions done in 
love, though unknown to the rest of mankind, is of 
inestimable value in the sight of the Most High, 
while those showy works which for a time call forth 
so much applause and admiration, are often of no 
account before the Sovereign Majesty. 

Yet especially should we practise Charity by avoid- 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 347 

ing most carefully whatever might give others pain or 
trouble. The instinct of love is all mildness, for- 
bearance, humility; it is averse to everything 
haughty, impatient, or harsh. If we had experienced 
only once what it is to love, how clear this would be 
to us! True love, while it enlightens the mind and 
makes it discover innumerable w T ays to do good, at 
the same time enchains the heart and robs it of its 
liberty to act otherwise. It really makes us slaves, 
but slaves by choice and from joy, not slaves by force 
or from fear. Henceforth, then, no more rash sus- 
picions, no more unfavorable constructions, no more 
offensive remarks, no more stinging replies, no more 
apathetic silence, and no more selfish complaints. 
For we should never add our own to another's bur- 
den, each one has enough to bear. Let us rather 
strive to lighten our brother's load, by reminding 
him of the cheering aspects of this earthly pilgrim- 
age or the solid motives of patience and confidence. 

By Word and Example. — Our love, however, must 
not stop short at devotedly rendering every kind of 
service and at scrupulously avoiding everything that 
might cause annoyance or sorrow. No, we should 
also exert ourselves, both by word and by example, 
to do positive good, real, lasting, supernatural good. 
If only our hearts were animated with a genuine con- 
tempt for things perishable and filled with a sincere 
esteem for things eternal and inflamed with an ardent 
love of God our Lord, how easy it would be to benefit 
our neighbor, our brother, by conversation ! It would 
flow so spontaneously, so gracefully, that it could not 
possibly fail to influence him for the better. And the 
same holds true of our example. In other words, our 
own sanctification, that is, after all, the great means 
of doing good, in fact, the only efficacious means. If 



348 EIGHTH DAY 

we appear to do good in any other way, it will not 
prove solid and durable, but just as superficial and 
ephemeral as our varnish of piety. We cannot give 
to others what we ourselves do not possess ; — a maxim 
as plain as daylight, yet apparently very difficult at 
times to realize. 

Let us, then, lay the ax to the root, and manfully 
cut off all earthly attachment; let us strain every 
sinew to advance daily, at least a few steps, in poverty, 
chastity, and obedience, in the contempt of self and 
the imitation of Christ. And while we feel conscious 
that as yet we can work but little good either by word 
or by example, let us at any rate beware of working 
evil, of scandalizing either by word or by example. 
This surely we can and must avoid. Should it never- 
theless happen that, through human frailty, we give 
spiritual offense to our brother, let us not fail to make 
for it as soon as possible a suitable reparation. If 
we have the excellent habit of asking a penance for 
breaking a bit of earthenware or damaging a piece of 
furniture, how much more reason we have to ask a 
penance if we rend asunder the precious mantle of 
Charity! In any case, let us take efficient measures 
to undo, as far as lies in us, the harm we may have 
caused. 

In conclusion; to lead a Life of Love is to live a 
life of happiness, a prelude to Life Eternal. It is to 
lead the life of a Saint, the life of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, the life of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. May, 
then, my entire existence be taken up with love : love 
in prayer, love in labor, love in rest, love in recrea- 
tion, love in health, love in sickness, love in joy, love 
in sorrow, love in success, love in failure, love in light, 
love in darkness; may I love at every moment of my 
life. May I love all men from the least to the greatest, 



FRATERNAL CHARITY 349 

beginning with those of my own household, the mem- 
bers of my own Community, my own Institute; and 
for the rest singling out particularly the poor, the 
ignorant, the rude, the infirm, the suffering, and the 
dying. May I love all in God and God in all. May I 
be wholly possessed, may I be wholly consumed by 
love. May my every thought, my every desire, my 
every breath, my every pulsation, be an act of the 
most pure, most tender, and most generousi love. 
May my First and Universal and Supreme Rule be 
the Law of Love, the Precept of Charity : " Thou 
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole mind, 
with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul, and with 
thy whole strength ; and thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself ; yea, even so as I have loved thee." 



DIVINE LOVE 

Introductory Remarks. — Charity is the super- 
natural love of friendship between God and man. It 
is a mutual love of benevolence, involving a communi- 
cation of goods between the Lover and the Beloved. 
This love of benevolence, on our part, consists in sin- 
cerely and effectually wishing Him all the good we 
can. It comprises, therefore, three kinds of acts. 
First; Complacency or Joy in the goods God already 
possesses, His Power, Wisdom, Holiness, and other 
Attributes, as well as the Glory given Him by His 
creatures, the spread of His Kingdom, and so forth. 
To this corresponds Grief on account of our own and 
other men's sins. Secondly; Benevolence in the 
strict sense, or the Desire of augmenting, as far as lies 
in us, the goods possessed by God ; which can only be 
hypothetical with regard to His Intrinsic Perfections, 
since being Infinite they are incapable of any increase ; 
but should ever be absolute in reference to His Ex- 
trinsic Glory. To this corresponds Hatred and De- 
testation of sin, or the Fear of the Lord. Thirdly; 
Beneficence, or Zeal for the Glory of God, not only 
forcibly repelling whatever is contrary or detrimental 
to the Divine Honor, but also energetically striving 
to promote it by every possible means; both in our- 
selves — by the extinction of the guilt, penalty, and 
effects of sin; by our compliance with God's com- 
mandments, counsels, intentions; by the practice of 
all the virtues; — and in others, by prayer, word, 
example, service, and suffering. Hence we see that 



DIVINE LOVE 351 

Love ought to be found in deeds and sacrifices rather 
than in words and feelings. 

Subject of this Meditation. — Charity, or the Love 
of Benevolence towards God in Himself, which all 
Christians are enabled to elicit by Sanctifying Grace, 
and which from the ordinary degrees may gradually 
rise to the ecstatic union of the contemplatives, the 
mystics, and the Saints. 

Composition of Place. — To see myself standing 
before God our Creator, seated in light inaccessible 
above the myriads of glorious Angels and blissful 
Saints, who are actually interceding for me at the 
throne of the Most High. — " Standing," that is, 
ready for any act of service, any proof of love, which 
the Eternal Lord may be pleased to accept. 

Petition. — "An intimate knowledge of the many 
and great benefits I have received, that, thoroughly 
grateful I may in all things love and serve His Di- 
vine Majesty." There is evidently a close connection 
between this final grace of the Exercises and the ulti- 
mate result of holy Indifference, " Desiring and Choos- 
ing only what is most Conducive to the End for which 
we were created." 

First Point. ' ' To Call to Mind the Benefits of my 
Creation, my Redemption, and Particular Gifts; 
dwelling with great affection on how much God our 
Lord has given me of what He has, and consequently 
how much He desires to give me Himself, in so far as 
compatible with His Eternal, Decree and Infinite 
Sovereignty." 

The Benefits of my Creation. — God in the begin- 
ning created for me this beautiful universe, the 



352 EIGHTH DAY 

earth to be my temporary habitation, the plants to 
feed and clothe me, the animals for my sustenance, 
assistance, and diversion. Under this heading, there- 
fore, I should call to mind all physical, moral, and 
intellectual Gifts; whatever I receive through the 
senses, through the understanding, or through the 
will. To realize the value of each Gift, I may sup- 
pose its entire absence or sudden privation. Besides, 
after reflecting on what I myself have received and 
am receiving, I should also think of what others have 
received, so many millions and millions of men. For 
we are all bound together by the bonds of a common 
origin, we form all one mighty family, we are all 
brothers, both by Nature and much more by Grace. 
The goods of each, therefore, are the goods of all; 
and the goods of all are the goods of each. If some 
have been less favored by God in any respect, it is 
that they may receive more in a better and higher 
way, and also that others may possess in them an 
object of Gratitude towards God and of Charity to- 
wards their neighbor. 

So, then, every breath I draw, every motion I make, 
every beating of my heart, every thought of my mind, 
every aspiration of my will, every moment of my life, 
is a Gift of God. Every particle of food that 
nourishes me, every drop of water that refreshes me, 
every ray of sunshine that warms me, is a Gift of 
God. All these Gifts are gratuitous ; lavished on me, 
not only without any antecedent merit, but even in 
spite of much subsequent demerit. In every Gift I 
should consider especially with what measureless 
Love it is bestowed by God; and from this I should 
strive to realize how earnestly He longs to give me 
Himself, in so far as I can become capable of receiv- 
ing Him. 



DIVINE LOVE 353 

The Benefits of my Redemption. — Here I should 
briefly recall the Incarnation, Life, Passion, and 
Death of Jesus, my Adorable Savior; the Catholic 
Church and the Sacraments, especially the Blessed 
Eucharist; Sanctifying Grace, the virtues of Faith, 
Hope, and Charity, the seven Gifts of the Divine 
Spirit; my soul made a tabernacle of the Eternal 
Love, a sanctuary of the most Holy Trinity; the ex- 
amples of the Saints, the prayers of the Faithful, the 
constant intercession of the Blessed, the powerful 
protection of my Guardian Angel, the tender solici- 
tude of the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and 
also my Mother. How sublime, how priceless is every 
single one of these Supernatural Favors ! 

Particular Benefits. — Among these I should reckon 
first, my Religious Vocation, the proof of God's myste- 
rious Predilection, bestowed on me in spite of so many 
sins and infidelities; then, the innumerable interior 
graces, conferring light and strength, as well as ex- 
terior helps, such as parents, teachers, advisers, books, 
sermons, incidents, all gradually and gently prepar- 
ing me for the Divine Call; further, the still more 
abundant graces and special helps received in this 
Holy State, ever since I entered the novitiate, particu- 
larly the training of an experienced and saintly Mas- 
ter of Novices, the instructions and exhortations of 
Directors, the counsels and corrections of Superiors, 
my successive annual Retreats, and these actual 
Spiritual Exercises. 

How wonderful, indeed, that Almighty God should 
have showered down such beautiful and varied Gifts, 
in such ceaseless profusion, on one so utterly un- 
worthy ! Yet they are only pledges of that Love with 
which He desires to give me Himself. For, what 
is infinitely superior to all His Gifts, He longs inces- 



354 EIGHTH DAY 

santly, as far as it can be done, to give me Himself 
Of all God's Gifts this is the most admirable, His per 
sonal Love. Let me then " reflect what I, on my part 
ought to offer and give to His Divine Majesty, namely 
myself together with whatever is mine." How reason 
able it is that I should make the most complete return 
for so many Gifts, bestowed so gratuitously and so 
lovingly, by Him, the infinitely Great God, on me a 
mere nothing, a despicable sinner; and also how just, 
since He could not possibly have bestowed these Gifts 
on me for any other purpose than His own Service and 
Glory! In fact, my human greatness, my royal no- 
bility, my priestly dignity, lies precisely in being 
privileged to make this return to the Most High. 

I must give Him, then, not only all I have, but my 
very self. This complete donation of self I have al- 
ready made by the Sacred Vows of Religion; but it 
remains for me to confirm it daily more and more by 
the Perfect Observance of these Vows. " My God and 
my All ! " He longs to become mine, as far as this 
is feasible to the Creator ; and I long to be His, wholly, 
absolutely, forever. With profound humility, there- 
fore, and with tender affection I will say, after St. 
Ignatius : " Take, O Lord, and receive all my liberty, 
my memory, my intellect, and my volition ; whatever I 
have and possess. Thou hast given me all these 
things ; to Thee, O Lord, I restore them ; and as they 
are now doubly Thine, I beg Thee, dispose of them ac- 
cording to Thy Good Pleasure." Yes, O Lord, freely 
dispose of everything, my time, my talents, my body, 
my senses, my mind, my will, my health, and my very 
life. Henceforth, my only care, my one absorbing 
thought shall be how to do Thy most Holy Will, at the 
merest sign, even in the smallest matter, with all the 
energy of my being, with the deepest reverence and the 



DIVINE LOVE 355 

greatest eagerness, at the cost of any hardship or 
ignominy ! And this Adorable Will of God is unmis- 
takably made known to me by the dispositions of His 
Fatherly Providence, by the example of Christ our 
Lord, by the supreme law of Fraternal Charity, by 
the prescriptions of my Rules, the duties of my Status, 
and the arrangements of my Superiors. But, evi- 
dently, it is by practising Perfect Obedience that I 
can best carry out this complete donation of myself to 
the Ever-Blessed Trinity. 

However, I have still something more to give, 
namely, my Love. This is a " Contemplation for ob- 
taining Love." One way to enkindle Love is intense 
Gratitude, prompting man to entire Self-Dedication ; 
the other way is ardent Petition, inclining God to 
boundless Mercy. I must, then, ask for it with the 
utmost energy and confidence in the words of St. 
Ignatius. " O Lord, only give me Thy Love and Thy 
Grace, for this — namely, to love Thee in word and 
deed — this is all I care for, this alone and nothing 
else will do." 

Total Self -Oblation, made with all possible fervor, 
is the immediate fruit of this Contemplation, while the 
remote fruit is Perfect Love. A most precious fruit, 
indeed, which under the motion of Divine Grace, may 
be relished in any of the Points; and wherever it is 
offered, we should concentrate our soul on it alone. 
This is what St. Ignatius refers to subsequently by the 
words : " reflecting on myself in the same way as has 
been said in the First Point, or in any other way that 
I shall feel to be better." 

Second Point. H To Consider how God Dwells in 
Creatures; in the elements, in the plants, in animals, 
in men, and so in me ; giving me being, life, and feel- 



356 EIGHTH DAY 

ing ; causing me to understand and to will ; and mak- 
ing me His very Temple." 

A lover not only gives all he has, but also strives to 
be ever Present to the beloved, at least in thought ; and 
God, through the free act of creation, subjected Him- 
self to this law of Love. God is Present by His 
essence, by His knowledge, and by His power; in all 
creatures, animate and inanimate; in the oceans and 
in the mountains; in the clouds and in the stars; in 
plants and in beasts, in Angels and in Men. His 
Presence is manifested by their very existence; by 
their physical qualities; by their life, strength, and 
sensation ; by their learning, affection, and authority ; 
by their supernatural virtues and heavenly graces. 
Especially, therefore, is He Present to me in my fel- 
low Keligious and in my Superiors. But most inti- 
mately is He Present to me in my own Heart. 

This universal and immediate Presence of God 
means an infinitely loving watchfulness, an ineffably 
tender solicitude, — Divine Providence, — which ex- 
tends even to the minutest and most trifling details, or 
in the words of our Blessed Lord, to the very hairs of 
my head. In fact, my Body is the Temple of the Ever- 
Blessed Trinity, while the Holy Ghost dwells like a 
most intimate and devoted Friend in my Soul. I am 
surrounded by this Loving Presence of God, I am 
immersed in it, for " in Him we live, and move, and 
have our being." But God subjected Himself to this 
law of Love in yet another and, to the human mind, far 
more striking way. He became Man, He dwelled 
amongst men in Human Form, He stayed on this earth 
for a number of years ; and He not only remains still 
with me personally Present, both as God and as Man, 
in the Adorable Eucharist, but actually descends into 
my bosom by Holy Communion. 



DIVINE LOVE 357 

I too, then, if I really love God, if I sincerely desire 
to advance in His love, I too must by all means strive 
to be ever mindful of Him, to think, speak, and act in 
His Sacred Presence. I must keep Present to Jesus in 
the Holy Eucharist, by frequent and diligent Visits 
from early morning till late at night, and particularly 
by daily, fervent Communions made with longing 
preparation and humble thanksgiving. Even while 
taken up with my usual work, even while passing 
through the public streets, my heart must stay at the 
foot of the Altar with Jesus, my Divine Lover. I 
must also watch over my Body as His Temple, over 
my Soul as His Sanctuary, with the greatest care and 
reverence, by checking every unguarded movement 
and disorderly emotion. Besides, I must be con- 
stantly on the alert to see God in all creatures, and 
all in Him ; I must strive to honor Him in my fellow 
men and in my Religious Companions; but I must 
especially revere Him in my Superiors, by yielding 
them Perfect Obedience. — Oblation and Love. 

Third Point. " To Consider how God Works and 
Labors for Me in all Created Things on the Face of 
the Earth; that is, behaves like one that labors, as in 
the heavens, elements, plants, fruit, cattle, and so 
forth, calling them into being, preserving them, giving 
them growth and feeling; and then to reflect on my- 
self." 

Love is always Active. Just as a lover is ever labor- 
ing for the beloved, so God is, as it were, ever laboring 
for me in all creatures. Every change, every move- 
ment, every development, every growth, is an effect of 
this Divine Labor. Thus He has Labored from the 
beginning of the world, directing all His activity 
towards my service, my well-being. With Infinite 



358 EIGHTH DAY 

Wisdom, Power, and Love, He has been arranging 
everything for my benefit, for my happiness. God 
Labors for me, not only directly, in the elements, 
plants, and animals ; but also indirectly through men, 
my Eeligious Brethren, my various Superiors, and 
through the Heavenly Spirits, especially my Angel 
Guardian and Patron Saints. Their service, their 
esteem, their affection is all an effect of His Labor. 
And how many creatures day after day combine their 
exertion, — which is wholly derived from Him and in 
which He constantly participates, — in order to pro- 
vide me with food, clothing, shelter, comfort, pleasure, 
and information? 

Besides, what is yet far more astounding, Jesus, 
true God and true Man, Labored and Suffered for me, 
from the moment of His Incarnation till His death on 
the Cross. Even now He Labors for me in the Blessed 
Eucharist. Also the Holy Ghost Labors in my mind 
and will, by continual inspirations and numberless 
graces, for my sanctification and perfection. In every 
act of supernatural virtue I perform, this Adorable 
Spirit Cooperates. Truly, Love and Service are in- 
separable. 

In imitation of this Divine Exemplar and in return 
for this Divine Service, I too must always Labor by 
using my senses, my faculties, my talents, for the 
Glory of God and for the Salvation of His beloved 
Children. Giving freely what I have freely received, I 
must strive to become all to all. I must ever Labor 
for Him by the perfect accomplishment of His Ador- 
able Will. In one word, I must henceforth devote all 
my energy to the practice of Perfect Obedience and the 
exercise of Fraternal Charity. How, indeed, can we 
better correspond to this wondrous manifestation of 
Divine Love, how can we more efficiently Labor for 



DIVINE LOVE 359 

our Heavenly Father than by mutual regard and affec- 
tion, embracing most eagerly those offices and duties 
which afford most frequent opportunities for exer- 
cising these two virtues, and spending ourselves, 
according to the directions of our Superiors, in spirit- 
ual and corporal works of mercy. — Oblation and 
Love. 

Fourth Point. ' ' To See how All Good Things and 
All Gifts Descend from Above; as my limited power 
from the Supreme and Infinite Might on high, and in 
the same way, justice, goodness, pity, mercy, and so 
forth, just as the rays descend from the sun and 
waters from the spring. Then to conclude by reflect- 
ing on myself, as has been said before." 

God is not only most Loving towards each one of us, 
as shown by His numberless Gifts, by His intimate 
Presence, by His unceasing Labor, but, besides, He is 
infinitely Lovable in Himself. To realize somewhat 
this Divine Loveliness, we must strive to rise gradu- 
ally from the creatures to the Creator, observing the 
beauty of nature in the different realms of the 
physical universe ; the beauty of the Human Soul and 
of the Angelic Spirit ; the beauty of Mary the Queen of 
heaven and earth ; the beauty of Jesus in His Sacred 
Humanity enthroned at the right hand of the Eternal 
Father; lastly, the Ever-Blessed Trinity, Inexhaust- 
ible Source of all beauty, infinitely surpassing even 
the most exalted creatures. 

How interesting is even a tiny grain of sand, a little 
bit of mineral, when examined and analyzed with 
scientific instruments ! Even after at least six thou- 
sand years of study, we barely know something of 
what lies just on the surface of these physical objects. 
How is a particle of matter made up? What is the 



360 EIGHTH DAY 

constitution of an atom? Some time ago, scientists 
practically gave up the search by formulating the 
atomic theory, but the recent discovery of radium shat- 
tered their flimsy hypothesis and emphasized once 
more man's prodigious ignorance. What, then, do we 
know about this entire globe, about the sun, the plan- 
ets, the comets, the nebulae, and the millions or rather 
billions of so-called fixed stars? Yet what grandeur 
and beauty is scattered broadcast over the whole 
earth, in landscapes, rivers, lakes, meadows, woods, 
and mountains ! 

But passing from the mineral realm to the veg- 
etable kingdom, what inscrutable mysteries do we find 
even in a blade of grass! What do we know about 
plants, their forces, their qualities? Botany is little 
else but a long list of Latin labels. All the ablest stu- 
dents and experimenters of the whole world together, 
could not produce one living cell of protoplasm. 
And zoology, our knowledge of the animal kingdom, 
so immense and so varied, is still more superficial. 
Yet how wonderful is even the most common insect, 
a fly ! Try to make one if you can. How incompar- 
ably more perfect any one of these tiny creatures is 
than our most improved aeroplane or latest launched 
dirigible! Yet all this astounding beauty of min- 
erals, plants, and animals is only a most distant imi- 
tation, a most dim reflection of the Divine Beauty, 
and is entirely due to their absolute dependence on 
God, their Infinite Creator. 

This physical universe, however, though so mag- 
nificent to behold and so interesting to study, is evi- 
dently immensely inferior to the world of spirits, even 
to a single human soul. Our faculties being so imper* 
feet, we fall far short of the gigantic task of exploring 
these loftier and still more mysterious fields of know]U 



DIVINE LOVE 361 

edge. But one thing we all do realize; namely, that 
the intelligent creation must be immeasurably more 
noble, more beautiful, more admirable, than the irra- 
tional creation, about which, as we have seen, in spite 
of more than six thousand years of constant experi- 
ence and diligent investigation, we still know next to 
nothing. 

Lastly, rising once more from the whole natural 
creation, rational as well as irrational, mind and mat- 
ter, to the Supernatural World, the realm of Sancti- 
fying Grace and Heavenly Favors, we stand utterly 
helpless before an impassable gulf. About the only 
thing we clearly recognize is this, that, in the Super- 
natural order of things, the wonders of God's work- 
ings must be incomparably far above whatever He 
does in Nature, in matter or mind, in man or angel. 
The few facts that God has deigned to make known 
to us by revelation, we apprehend only under very 
imperfect figures and images. 

And now taking together all these various crea- 
tions, the Material and the Spiritual, the Natural 
and the Supernatural, with all their untold beauty, 
all their countless wonders, gathering all this into 
one immense universe of inconceivable excellence, and 
multiplying it a hundred-thousandfold, even so I have 
nothing but a faint image of the absolutely Infinite 
Perfection, Power, Goodness, Loveliness of the Triune 
God. And this Supreme Being for my sake became 
Man, and on account of my sins died on a Cross. This 
Adorable Master still stays with me in the Blessed 
Eucharist, continually sacrifices Himself for me in 
Holy Mass, daily gives Himself to me in Sacramental 
Communion. By Creative Agency I was formed to His 
distant likeness and placed in the condition of a serv- 
ant. But by Sanctifying Grace I received a true 



362 EIGHTH DAY 

participation in His Immutable Nature, I became a 
child of God the Father, a brother of God the Son, a 
spouse of God the Holy Ghost. And all this is yet to 
be completed in Heaven, when I shall be actually ad- 
mitted to the very Family of the Ever-Blessed Trinity, 
to the most intimate Society of the three Divine Per- 
sons. With what confidence, then, and with what en- 
ergy, I should strive to become more and more perfect 
after the pattern of my Heavenly Father, to become 
more and more conformable in my whole conduct to 
my Heavenly King, to become more and more docile 
and devoted to my Heavenly Spouse ! 

Colloquy. — Here I will with great fervor renew my 
Vows and my Kesolutions, I will offer to the Adorable 
Trinity all the Affection of devout Christians, of holy 
Souls, of blessed Saints and Angels, of the Immacu- 
late Virgin Mary, of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ; wish- 
ing that I could gather into my own wretched, sinful 
heart the Love of all the Children of God and thus 
make some return to my most Amiable Creator, Re- 
deemer, and Sanctifier. Oh! could I be wholly con- 
sumed with the flames of Divine Love. Oh! how I 
long for the day, the hour, when I may be admitted 
to see Him, my Eternal Lord, face to face, and to 
be inebriated forever with His ineffable Goodness 
and Beauty; when there will be no more danger of 
losing Him, no more possibility of displeasing Him, 
when I shall be irresistibly drawn to Love Him, with- 
out any distraction, without any intermission, as He 
Himself has deigned to command me, with my whole 
heart, with my whole soul, with my whole mind, and 
with all my strength. But meanwhile, with the help 
of His grace, I will Love Him here on earth, as I have 
now learned better and understood more clearly, by 



DIVINE LOVE 363 

daily sacrificing myself entirely to His most Holy 
Will in Perfect Obedience, by daily embracing the 
Cross of Suffering and Contempt, for the Greater 
Glory of His Divine Majesty and for the Greater 
Good of His Beloved Children. I will conclude with 
an Our Father, the most appropriate prayer for a 
child of God. 



THE END 



APPENDIX 



Of the three meditations contained in this appendix, 
either the first or the second may be found serviceable 
for the morning of the day after the Retreat. The 
third meditation has been added for the convenience 
of those who wish to follow up the exercises on Sin 
with the consideration of Death; in which case, by 
way of compensation, they may omit the meditation 
on Mary Magdalen. The list of books, which is neces- 
sarily very incomplete, may be found helpful to select 
suitable reading-matter for Community Retreats. 



DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED 
VIRGIN 

Introductory Remarks. — Those who by a singular 
favor of God have been called to be the chosen com- 
panions of Jesus, seem with the very grace of their 
Vocation to receive a spirit of filial reverence and 
affection for Mary, His most Holy Mother. And as, 
with increasing years of Religious Life, they come to 
understand more clearly the perfect union that exists 
between that Son and that Mother, they also realize 
more deeply the indispensable relation which their 
Devotion to Mary bears to their Conformity to Jesus, 
which is the supreme object of all their thoughts and 
endeavors, of all their prayers and penances. But 
what do we really understand by this Devotion to 
Mary? 

By Devotion in general, as all will readily grant, we 
understand a certain attachment to an object or a per- 
son, worthy of our esteem and affection, an attach- 
ment not remaining hidden in the depths of our heart 
but manifesting itself, on suitable occasions, in our 
words and deeds. Hence it is evident that Devotion 
is not a mere matter of sentiment. Feeling or senti- 
ment may give rise to Devotion and certainly forms 
its accidental ornament, but does not constitute its 
substantial core. A supernatural attachment, such 
as Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, which should 
consist merely of sentiment, would be little better 
than sheer illusion ; it would be the outward appear- 
ance without the inward essence. On the other 



368 APPENDIX 

hand, such an attachment solidly founded on motives 
of esteem and affection, but without the accidental 
finish of human feeling, though surely not an alto- 
gether perfect Devotion, would still be a very desir- 
able disposition of the soul and one very pleasing to 
our Heavenly Mother. Consequently, let us strive 
thoroughly to appreciate the reasons we have for 
revering and loving Mary, the Immaculate Virgin, 
and for the rest look forward to everlasting bliss as 
the condition in which, after the final resurrection, 
our Devotion will reach its full maturity, its ultimate 
perfection, when the body and all its powers will be 
brought into complete and permanent harmony with 
all the aspirations of the soul. 

Yet mere esteem and affection do not constitute 
Devotion. A third factor is wanted. When St. Ig- 
natius, in the Second Week of the Exercises, directs 
us to beg for a more intimate knowledge of our Lord, 
in order that we may love Him more ardently and fol- 
low Him more closely, we realize, even though he 
does not use the word, that what he wishes us to 
implore is a more intense Devotion to Jesus, our 
Adorable King. If so, we shall not be far wrong in 
defining Devotion to Mary, a Keverential and Loving 
Imitation of our Heavenly Queen and Mother. In 
fact, the idea of Devotion contains three distinct ele- 
ments, namely, veneration, affection, and service ; and 
though St. Thomas Aquinas makes Devotion to God 
consist in a ready will to do whatever may promote 
His glory, yet it is clear that this readiness of the 
will postulates a mind appreciative of the Divine 
Excellence, and an activity directed continually 
towards the Divine Service. 

Subject of this Meditation. — Our reasons for 



DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN 369 

revering Mary, our motives for loving Mary, and our 
means of imitating Mary, 

Composition of Place. — The town of Nazareth, the 
house of the Blessed Virgin, the room of the An- 
nunciation. 

Petition. — A more solid, more tender, and more 
active Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. 

First Point. Our Reasons for Revering Mary. 

Since the Blessed Virgin is the most perfect and 
most exalted of all purely created beings, it can- 
not be difficult to assign some special claims she has 
to our Reverence. The first that naturally offers it- 
self for our consideration is her Sinlessness. While 
all other men, in the first instant of their existence 
are infected by those baneful consequences of the 
disobedience of Adam, which we comprehend under 
the term " original sin," Mary, by a marvelous favor 
conferred on her in view of the merits of her future 
Son, the Divine Redeemer, was preserved from con- 
tracting this hereditary stain. In other words, she 
was conceived Immaculate. At the same time, the 
Blessed Virgin was completely exempt from concupis- 
cence, that undue inclination towards the goods of 
earth, towards the pleasures of sense, towards the 
worship of self, which draws man to evil by forestall- 
ing and obscuring his reason. And what is more, by 
another most wonderful privilege, Mary ever kept 
her soul free from the slightest actual sin, nay even 
from the smallest inordination, that is, she never for a 
moment swerved in the least from the Adorable Will 
of God, but corresponded to every indication of it 
with absolute fidelity and accomplished it with the 
combined energy of her entire being. 



370 APPENDIX 

But Sinlessness, after all, is only a negative per- 
fection and, strictly speaking, admits of no degrees. 
Let us, therefore, turn our attention to something 
positive, namely Grace. "A creature," says St. 
Thomas, " receives so much the more Grace as it is 
more closely united to God." Now, never was man 
or angel admitted to so close a union with God as 
Mary enjoyed at the very dawn of her existence, des- 
tined as she was from all eternity to become the 
Mother of the Incarnate Word; and, hence, we need 
not wonder if the Doctors of the Church maintain 
that the Grace bestowed on our Blessed Lady in her 
first sanctification was more abundant than that 
reached by the greatest Saint or the highest Seraph 
at the consummation of their merits. Indeed, not a 
few Theologians even hold that the Grace lavished 
on the Immaculate Virgin in the moment of her Con- 
ception, exceeded all the Grace ever to be possessed 
by the whole assembly of men and angels arrived at 
the summit of their Perfection. Whichever view we 
may adopt, we should bear in mind that Grace is not 
measured by quantity but by intensity. This initial 
wealth of Sanctifying Grace was accompanied by a 
proportionate infusion of the theological and moral 
Virtues, — faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, 
humility, fortitude, — as well as by a most copious 
outpouring of the seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. 
And since the Blessed Virgin had from the outset 
the full use of her faculties, she entered immediately 
upon that perfect correspondence to all these Divine 
Favors which caused them to be multiplied at every 
successive instant of her earthly existence. In at- 
tempting to gaze at such fulness of Grace, at such 
loftiness of Sanctity, our mind is completely dazzled. 

Yet, in addition to her absolute Sinlessness and 



DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN 371 

surpassing Grace, Mary possesses still another and 
more powerful title to our Reverence, and that is her 
inconceivable Dignity of Mother of God. Inconceiv- 
able, not only to the human mind and angelic spirit, 
but even to the Ever-Blessed Virgin herself. God 
alone knows the true Greatness of Mary, His Mother, 
because He alone knows His own Infinite Greatness. 
But for us, just as the Incarnation of the Second 
Person of the Trinity will forever remain an un- 
fathomable mystery, so will proportionately the Dig- 
nity of the Mother of the Incarnate Word. Mary 
participates in the Divine Excellence not only in a 
far higher degree than the other Blessed, but also 
in a mode altogether distinct and unique. Hence, 
just as the Adoration we give to God, our Sovereign 
Lord, can never become excessive, so the Reverence 
we owe to Mary, His favorite creature, can never be 
exaggerated. This fact, that she is the Mother of 
God, is the source and the summary of all else, of 
her absolute Freedom from Sin and her perfect Ful- 
ness of Grace. Hail, then, Virgin Immaculate, Mary, 
Full of Grace, Mother of our Creator and Redeemer ! 

Second Point. Our Motives for Loving Mary. 

Here again we must limit ourselves to a cursory 
review of such motives as obtain exclusively in the 
case of the Blessed Virgin. While all men claim our 
sincere good-will, because they are made to the image 
and likeness of God, because they are enabled by 
grace to enter as children of adoption the very fam- 
ily of God, and also because they are accordingly 
loved by God Himself; Mary deserves our warmest 
Affection, because she is the most admirable Master- 
piece of the Almighty Father, because she has been 
admitted to the most intimate Relationship of 



372 APPENDIX 

Mother of the Eternal Son, and because She is, con- 
sequently, the most tenderly cherished Spouse of the 
Holy Ghost. We ought to love our neighbor because 
he is really lovable, but the Blessed Virgin is incom- 
parably more lovable than any other creature, while 
God is infinitely more Lovable than all. Hence, that 
personal Love of Jesus which we are taught by St. 
Ignatius to carry to the point of embracing for His 
sake poverty and pain, contempt and insult, that per- 
sonal Love can never burn in the heart of a Religious 
without a correspondingly ardent Affection for Mary. 
Again, the Blessed Virgin is also most closely as- 
sociated with our Adorable Savior, as the Coredemp- 
trix of the human race. It is usual, in explaining the 
difference between the Sacrifice of the Cross and the 
Sacrifice of the Mass, to point out that on Calvary 
Jesus was the only Priest just as He was the only 
Victim, while on the Altar He is assisted under both 
these aspects by the faithful present and even by the 
entire Church. Yet this is true only in so far as 
Jesus and Mary, in that awful tragedy of Golgotha, 
constituted practically but one moral agent, one 
Priest as well as one Victim. Jesus was not abso- 
lutely alone in offering Himself on the Cross for our 
redemption. There stood by the Cross of Christ His 
Sorrowful Mother. Mary intimately realized the 
wonderful mystery that was being accomplished on 
Calvary, and as formerly at the Annunciation she 
had given her humble consent to the miraculous In- 
carnation of the Eternal Word, so now at the Cruci- 
fixion she generously joined in the fearful Holocaust 
of her Divine Son. Thus, the share she has in the 
salvation of the world is not only surpassing great, 
but also quite indispensable and altogether singular. 



DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN 373 

Hence, while the mere recollection of the torments 
and ignominy of the Cross, the sight of a Crucifix or 
the act of Blessing ourselves, ought to fill our hearts 
with contrite Love for Jesus, our Adorable Redeemer, 
it should also animate them with grateful Affection 
for Mary, our heroic Coredemptrix. 

There is still a third motive why we should Love 
the Blessed Virgin, one which, humanly speaking, 
appeals to us more forcibly than any other. Mary 
is also our Heavenly Mother. We are her beloved 
children, — yes, we in particular, the privileged mem- 
bers of Holy Church, the chosen companions of Christ 
Jesus. For each one of us she has labored and suf- 
fered while on earth, for each one she is now praying 
and pleading in Heaven. If we could gather up 
all our experiences of maternal care and realize 
all our recollections of motherly affection, and 
could multiply and intensify the resultant to the 
very borders of the infinite, we should still possess 
but a very inadequate concept of the profound solici- 
tude and ceaseless concern with which Mary watches 
over the welfare, the happiness, the salvation of even 
the least and lowliest descendant of Adam, of even 
the most reckless and hardened sinner. But who 
could venture even to give an idea of the tender love 
which she cherishes for those who strive in all things 
to do the Perfect Will of her Adorable Lord, to be- 
come true followers of her Divine Son, those who seek 
to be clothed with the same livery and to be spent in 
the same labors as Jesus Crucified? In return, what 
should be our Affection for Mary, the supreme Object 
of the power, wisdom, and love of the Most High, the 
active Coredemptrix of our fallen race, and our own 
most devoted Mother? 



374 APPENDIX 

Third Point. Our Means of Imitating Mary. 

If Reverence may be styled the stem of Devotion 
and Love its flower, Imitation may well be called its 
fruit. Surely, those who wish to be truly devoted to 
the Immaculate Virgin, ought to regulate their con- 
duct after her example. Tender sentiments and 
burning words are good, provided they are borne out 
by diligent action. Otherwise they are nothing but 
illusion and deceit. In what particulars, then, 
should we strive to Imitate Mary, our Queen and our 
Mother? Her earthly existence was preeminently a 
life of Prayer, of Humility, and of Sacrifice. Such, 
consequently, should be ours also. 

A life of Prayer means a life of silence and recol- 
lection, of habitual watchfulness over self and con- 
stant communion with God. Even amongst those 
who have long since consecrated themselves entirely 
to the Divine Service and Glory, there are found 
some who seem to think an interior life incompatible 
with exterior activity. But their view, which runs 
counter to the unanimous teaching of ascetic writers, 
is based on a misconception, and a simple explanation 
may suffice to remove their difficulty. It cannot be 
denied that to form the habit of recollection or to 
foster the practice of Prayer, we have to lead, for a 
considerable time, a more or less retired existence, 
apart from the noise and bustle of the world. But 
once this inward discipline has been acquired, far 
from proving a hindrance to outward efficiency, it 
becomes one of its most powerful and enduring main- 
springs. Witness the lives of the Saints, their cease- 
less exertions and their astounding achievements. 
Besides, of what profit will our external labors be 
to our neighbor, if we are not internally united to 
God? How can a man pretend to communicate to 



DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN 375 

others what he himself lacks? This is why every 
Religious Order affords its members constant oppor- 
tunities for cultivating the spirit of Prayer. Let us 
strive to avail ourselves of them to the utmost, as 
loving clients and genuine children of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary. 

Prayer puts the grace and light and energy we 
need within our reach, but without Humility we 
would have no capacity for receiving these heavenly 
treasures. Mary was full of Grace, because she was 
thoroughly Humble. In fact, among all her marvel- 
ous virtues, Humility stands out most conspicuous. 
It was the Humility of His Handmaid that induced 
the Most High to become her Son. Humility is at 
once the most fundamental and the most practicable of 
all the moral virtues. For it is nothing else than the 
habit of referring to God everything that is His, 
namely, whatever good we see in any creature, and to 
ourselves everything that is ours, namely, our own 
nothingness and sinfulness. Now, of this fact — that 
of ourselves we are worse than nothing — we are re- 
minded unceasingly by every object that meets our 
gaze or falls under our notice : material imperfections 
and physical drawbacks, bodily ailments, mental de- 
fects, and moral shortcomings, trifling mishaps and 
big disasters, everlastingly repeat to us the same les- 
son. Hence we can humble ourselves inwardly as well 
as outwardly, whether alone or with others, at every 
moment of our conscious existence ; the opportunities 
are never wanting. Humility being only the intel- 
ligent and deliberate application of a self-evident truth 
that happens to be most unpleasant and repugnant to 
our fallen nature, Self-Humiliation constitutes the 
best panacea for all our spiritual miseries, the cursed 
brood of pride. For the sake, therefore, of the Blessed 



376 APPENDIX 

Virgin, in order to become more like to her, our 
Heavenly Mother, and thus more truly her children, 
let us gladly welcome every occasion of self-denial, 
which is either a Humiliation of the body or a Hu- 
miliation of the soul. 

But if Humility be sanctity, why not concentrate 
our Devotion to Mary on the practice of this one 
virtue? Strictly speaking, there would be no objec- 
tion, if only we had a perfectly adequate notion of 
Humility. But here lies the difficulty. Accordingly, 
a few words about Self-Sacrifice as a third means of 
Imitating the Immaculate Virgin will not be super- 
fluous. If we study the word Devotion, we recognize 
that it is nearly synonymous with Sacrifice. How- 
ever, since the Mother of God accepts our Devotion 
only on behalf of her Divine Son, the desire of Self- 
Sacrifice which it necessarily implies, will cause us 
to be immolated more and more completely, in union 
with her, for the Greater Glory of His Sovereign 
Majesty. And this leads us back once more to the 
wondrous Sacrifice of the Cross, in which, as we saw, 
Mary cooperated so intimately with Jesus, that while 
He is truly our sole Kedeemer she merited nevertheless 
to become our Coredemptrix. Since Holy Mass is the 
unbloody reenactment of the bloody Holocaust of 
Calvary, it is especially while assisting at the Sacred 
Mysteries that we should strive, after the example of 
Mary and through her intercession, to unite ourselves 
to our Divine Master, both as priests and as victims, 
by offering our body and soul, our senses and facul- 
ties, our health, our liberty, and our very life, for the 
same ends for which He continues to offer Himself 
hourly on our altars ; namely, adoration, impetratlon, 
and thanksgiving. And that this Self-immolation in 
Holy Mass may become more and more sincere, gen- 



DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN 377 

erous, and perfect, let us at the same time earnestly 
beg for abundant grace to carry it out practically, 
throughout the ensuing day, by eagerly embracing 
every opportunity of suffering and contempt, espe- 
cially such as may occur in the observance of our 
Rules, in the accomplishment of our Duties, in the 
exercise of Obedience and Charity. By thus Imitat- 
ing the Holy Mother of God in her Prayer, her Hu- 
mility, and her Sacrifice, we shall prove our Devotion 
to consist not merely in Feelings or Words, but in 
earnest and fruitful Deeds. 

Colloquy. — First, with the Blessed Virgin, joining 
deep confusion to lively confidence. Confusion; be- 
cause of the immense difference between me and Her : 
She my Mother, so holy, and I, her child, so wretched ; 
She so rich in grace, and I so destitute ; She the Core- 
demptrix of the world, the Queen of Apostles, and 
I worse than a useless servant, not only through the 
grave scandal caused by my past sins, but also by the 
bad example of my actual worldliness, selfishness, and 
pride. Confidence; because of her irresistible power 
with Christ our Savior, assuring me that through her 
protection I too shall once be admitted, together with 
many others enlightened and encouraged by my en- 
deavors, to the bliss of Heaven, and thus be united to 
Her for all eternity in the knowledge, love, and pos- 
session of God. After this I will say a Hail Mary. 
Secondly; with our Divine Lord: for just as fervent 
Imitation of Mary Immaculate leads necessarily to 
closer Union with Jesus Crucified, so nowhere better 
than in the Heart of her Adorable Son can we learn 
real filial Devotion to our Heavenly Mother. And 
then I will conclude with an Our Father. 



THE BADGE OF PERSEVERANCE 

Subject of this Meditation. — The Sacred Heart 
Badge as a symbol of Religious Perfection and an 
aid to Perseverance in our good Resolutions. 

Composition of Place. — The Chapel in which our 
Divine Lord appeared to Blessed Margaret Mary 
Alacoque showing her His Sacred Heart, wounded, 
inflamed, surmounted by a cross, and encircled by a 
crown of thorns. 

Petition. — That my heart may become daily more 
and more like to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the 
more diligent practice of poverty, chastity, obedience, 
and regular observance. 

First Point. The Wound, a Symbol of Poverty. 

The large Wound in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 
through which He poured forth even the last drop of 
His Blood, is an eloquent symbol of that Perfect 
Poverty which He practised during His entire life, 
having not even a stone whereon to lay His head and 
dying in absolute destitution on the Cross. 

Surely no self-spoliation could go further than that 
of our Lord and Savior. I will strive to Imitate Him 
by embracing the Poverty proper to my Institute, 
in food, clothing, lodging, and all other details of 
common life; not admitting any superfluities but re- 
joicing when things happen to disagree with my per- 
sonal tastes or even to be insufficient for my actual 



THE BADGE OF PERSEVERANCE 379 

needs. I will also strive to Imitate Him by keeping 
myself wholly detached from the very objects that are 
given me for my present nse, with prudent watchful- 
ness lest the enemy should turn them into snares 
to enslave my heart. I will, moreover, strive to Imi- 
tate Him by a childlike and undoubting confidence, 
an entire and exclusive reliance on the Infinite Good- 
ness of God, never looking for temporal support to 
any creature, or human favor, or personal exertion, 
and never indulging in any misgivings or apprehen- 
sions about my own future usefulness or the financial 
condition of the Community. What an insult to the 
Love of our Heavenly Father and what a disregard 
for the Doctrine of our Blessed Savior, to entertain 
any such worldly solicitude ! But how doubly shame- 
ful and detestable in a Religious, in one that has 
bound himself by Vow to this complete self-aban- 
donment to Divine Providence! 

Second Point. The Flames, a Symbol of Chastity. 

The Flames of love that we see bursting forth from 
the Sacred Heart of Jesus may very appropriately 
be taken to symbolize Angelic Chastity. For just as 
Poverty signifies not only detachment from earthly 
possessions, which is its negative aspect, but also re- 
liance on Divine Providence, which is its positive 
side ; so Chastity means not only renunciation of sen- 
sual affection but also acquisition of spiritual love, 
by which the human soul is united to her Heavenly 
Spouse, a supernatural love founded on the same 
motive as the ardent charity that ever animated our 
Blessed Lord. 

Hence I will strive to Please my Adorable Master 
by ever keeping strict guard over my senses, particu- 
larly my eyes and my touch, and by constantly seek- 



380 APPENDIX 

ing mortification in cold and heat, in hunger and 
thirst, in prayer and labor, in fatigue and sickness, 
in public and private penances. I will also strive to 
Imitate Him by fostering in my heart, towards all 
men but especially towards my fellow Religious, gen- 
uine and practical Charity. For if the children of 
an earthly father are bound to mutual affection, 
how much more the children of our Father in Heaven, 
particularly such as have voluntarily pledged them- 
selves to live and labor together for His Greater 
Glory! This Charity I should exercise unceasingly 
by being kind in all my thoughts, words, and actions ; 
not unconcerned or unsympathetic, but full of deli- 
cate attention and tender regard for their needs and 
troubles, so as to discover and even to anticipate them 
with industrious simplicity ; and, while not expecting 
or permitting that they should accommodate them- 
selves to my whims or wishes, by seeking on every occa- 
sion to satisfy their reasonable desires and to second 
their lawful aspirations. On the other hand, I should 
firmly resist and resolutely stifle any tendency to par- 
ticular friendship, in my conversations or dealings 
with companions, pupils, or acquaintances. I will, 
moreover, strive to Imitate the Sacred Heart of Jesus 
in His Burning Love of God, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost ; and this especially by ardent aspirations from 
morning till night, by frequent visits to my Divine 
Master in the Adorable Sacrament, by daily sacri- 
ficing myself with Him in Holy Mass, and by perse- 
veringly receiving Him in Holy Communion with 
deep humility and intense fervor. Oh! may this 
celestial fire purify my heart ever more and more 
from all earthly dross, and render it more and more 
similar to the Most Pure and Loving Hearts of Jesus 
and Mary. 



THE BADGE OF PERSEVERANCE 381 

Third Point. The Cross, a Symbol of Obedience. 

Since Jesus was Obedient even to the death of the 
Cross, what else could the Cross that surmounts the 
Sacred Heart symbolize for a Religious than the vir- 
tue of Obedience? Just as Christ consummated the 
sacrifice of Himself on that Hallowed Wood, so the 
self-immolation of a Religious is completed by Holy 
Obedience. 

Hence I will strive to Imitate my Adorable Lord, 
by making the practice of Obedience the chief occu- 
pation of every day and every hour of my life, from 
the moment I arise at the first sound of the bell till 
the time set for retiring to rest, ever aiming at the 
utmost promptitude and exactness in execution, at 
the sincerest joy and love in will, at the greatest 
simplicity and perspicacity in judgment. I will also 
strive to Imitate Him by recognizing in the persons 
of my Superiors, not mere men subject to errors and 
failings, but the special Representatives of the Most 
High, and by entertaining towards them, in conse- 
quence, deep reverence and warm affection. Thus, 
Holy Obedience will become for me an ever welcome 
opportunity of mortification and humiliation, an ef- 
ficient instrument of immolating my whole self, my 
body and soul, my senses and faculties, my health and 
my very life, in union with my Crucified Savior. 

Fourth Point. The Crown of Thorns, a Symbol 
of Regular Observance. 

The Crown of Thorns encircling the Sacred Heart 
will aptly symbolize my fourth Vow either expressed 
or implied, namely, my further Obligation of devot- 
ing my remaining years to this Institute, by the faith- 
ful Observance of all its Rules and Constitutions. 
In some Religious Orders the members take instead 



382 APPENDIX 

a Vow of Enclosure. But, whatever be the particular 
form of this Obligation by which w T e have bound our- 
selves forever to the State of Evangelical Perfection, 
we must again distinguish the negative aspect from 
the positive. Taken negatively, this Obligation 
would only impose separation from the World. But 
our Divine Lord surely looks for something more than 
this. The one object why He placed us here in Reli- 
gion, isolated from the World, is that we might wholly 
immolate ourselves for the conversion and sanctifica- 
tion of this very World. After the example of the 
Apostle St. Paul, each one of us is to fill up in 
himself what is lacking to the Passion of Christ, 
each one of us is called to contribute his own 
personal Holocaust towards the wider and fuller ap- 
plication of the infinite merits of the Cross. This is 
the positive side of this fourth Vow. 

Hence I will cherish especially those Eules which 
are most Disagreeable to nature, and like the Thorns 
in the Crown of my Adorable Master, I will press them 
generously into my heart. Besides, I will studiously 
keep my soul free from all Intercourse with the 
World, from all temporal interests and secular gos- 
sip, attending only to the things of eternity, to the 
business of my Heavenly Father. In particular, I 
will abstain from Reading any of the Sensational 
dailies, weeklies, magazines, or novels of the present 
day, and not even touch such publications except it 
be my strict duty to acquaint myself with some of 
their contents. On the other hand, while carefully 
observing the Rule of Silence, yet, when Obedience 
or Charity require me to Speak, I will strive to avail 
myself of every such opportunity to exhort sinners 
to contrition and worldlings to penance, to rouse the 
lukewarm to true fervor and the devout to apostolic 



THE BADGE OF PERSEVERANCE 383 

zeal, in short, to fill all hearts with contempt of earth 
and forgetfulness of self, and to inflame them with 
the love of God and the desire of everlasting Bliss. 

Colloquy with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, begging 
Him that, through great fidelity in keeping my holy 
Vows and good Resolutions, I may steadily advance 
in Religious Perfection and daily become more like 
to Him, my Supreme Exemplar. But first having 
recourse to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I will 
implore her to obtain for me these same graces from 
her Divine Son, through her all-powerful interces- 
sion. — Hail Mary. Our Father. 



DEATH 

Introductory Remarks. — As sin follows from in- 
ordination, so inordination arises from worldliness. 
Hence the Apostle St. John exhorts ns all in these 
words: "Love not the world nor the things that 
are in the world. If any one love the world, the 
charity of the Father is not in him." For God can- 
not endure a divided heart. God and the World are 
two rivals that cannot be served at the same time. 
Yet even Keligious are to some extent infected by 
the World. We have worldly views, worldly princi- 
ples, worldly aspirations, worldly manners. One of 
the best means to cure ourselves of this worldliness 
is to consider that " the World passes together with 
its concupiscence, but he that does the Will of God 
abides forever." 

Subject of this Meditation. — The end of all that 
pertains to the world, Death. 

Composition of Place. — The room in which a Reli- 
gious has just died, the coffin containing the corpse, 
and the candles lighted on both sides. 

Petition. — That I may earnestly resolve to make 
up for whatever was worldly, inordinate, and sinful 
in my past life; and that I may apply myself ener- 
getically to regulate my remaining years in such a 
way as to insure a happy Death. 

First Point. The Meanings of Death. 

Death Means the Separation of the Soul from the 



DEATH 385 

Body. How many sufferings this will entail! Not 
only intense physical pains, but perhaps also violent 
temptations stirred up by our infernal and impla- 
cable enemy, the Devil. Well may we pray with great 
humility and earnestness, " Holy Mary, pray for 
us, sinners, now and at the hour of our Death." 
What will be the fear and anguish of a Christian that 
has not lived for Heaven, for God, but for this earth, 
for self; of a Religious that has been neglectful of 
Prayer and careless in the reception of the Sacra- 
ments, has exercised no restraint over his senses and 
discarded the practice of mortification ; in a word, of 
one who has led a worldly existence? 

As soon as the Soul has departed, sometimes even 
much earlier, the Body becomes an object of loathing 
and horror; then it turns into a shocking mass of 
corruption, which serves as food to the worms; and 
after a few years there is nothing left of it but a heap 
of dust that will in the course of ages be scattered 
to the four winds. With what bitter remorse will 
the lost Soul of the worldling behold this utter hu- 
miliation, this complete destruction of his Body! 
" O fool that I was," he will exclaim, " this, then, is 
what I have pampered and worshiped at the price of 
my Eternal Salvation." But it will be too late. 

For me, however, it is not yet too late to learn the 
lesson taught me by the impending dissolution of my 
Body. So did St. Margaret of Cortona, on seeing 
the corpse of her murdered lover, with whom she had 
been living for years in unlawful union, and who one 
day, on passing through a dark forest, was stabbed 
to the heart by an enemy. So did St. Francis Borgia, 
on beholding the ghastly remains of the empress Isa- 
bella, the wife of the mighty Charles V, a woman re- 
nowned for her beauty and accomplishments. 



386 APPENDIX 

I too must learn not to devote more time or atten- 
tion to my Perishable Body, to its comfort, to its 
clothing, to its lodging, than is demanded by the 
Service of Almighty God and the Salvation of my 
Immortal Soul. Oh, the vanity and deception of 
worldly adornments! as if the rags with which we 
are obliged to cover ourselves, made of the dead refuse 
of plants and animals, were not a standing proof of 
our native misery and personal degradation. How 
far preferable is the simplicity and uniformity of the 
Eeligious habit, fare, cell, and furniture. And shall 
I still hesitate to mortify my corruptible flesh, to re- 
strain my eyes, my touch, my tongue, to subdue its 
senseless opposition to my Everlasting Spirit, to my 
Higher Interests? 

Death Means also the Separation from the Goods 
of this World, earthly possessions, earthly amuse- 
ments, earthly distinctions, popularity, standing, in- 
fluence. How frightful an ordeal this will be for the 
worldling ! None of these things can be taken along ; 
others will enjoy what he has gathered with so much 
anxiety; and soon his very name will be forgotten. 
How next to impossible it will be for him at the hour 
of Death to yield up all at once every one of those 
objects on which his heart has been set for so many 
years ! That is why our Divine Lord tells us, " It is 
more difficult for a rich man to enter heaven, than for 
a camel to pass through the eye of a needle." 

Oh ! what blindness, what folly, to be so solicitous, 
so eager, so absorbed in the pursuit of these Perish- 
able Goods, these Empty Honors! Yes, and for us 
too, Eeligious, though by the grace of God we have 
given up all worldly advantages and prospects, what 
a shame to be still so little concerned about the Im- 
perishable Treasures, the Unfading Glory of Heaven. 



DEATH 387 

Let us admire and imitate the practical wisdom and 
consistent conduct of St. Aloysius, who would often 
ask himself, " What is this when compared with eter- 
nity?" or of St. Stanislaus, who was wont to ex- 
claim, " I was born for something better and nobler." 

We ought, then, to labor perseveringly at detach- 
ing ourselves from whatever belongs to this earth. In 
obedience to the loving invitation of Christ our Lord, 
" If thou wilt be perfect, sell all thou hast and give 
it to the poor, and come follow Me," we must not 
only keep our Vow but also earnestly strive to ad- 
vance in the Virtue of Poverty. Here we see once 
more how our Religious Profession tends to procure 
for us a happy Death. But we must make diligent 
use of the opportunities it offers, we must be eager to 
give up unnecessary articles and little conveniences, 
we must strive to be really poor. 

Death Means, moreover, the Separation from Rela- 
tives and Friends. For loving and generous souls 
this separation is most painful. Now, those who are 
drawn towards the Religious Life have usually a lov- 
ing disposition. Hence they are particularly ex- 
posed to temptations that arise from an inordinate 
love of Relations and Acquaintances. What must we 
do? Let us anticipate the work of Death, by chang- 
ing this natural, carnal, selfish affection into one 
that is unselfish, spiritual, and supernatural. Other- 
wise we should be unfit for the Religious State; 
according to the words of Christ: "He who hates 
not father and mother, yea and his own life also, can- 
not be My disciple." By thus purifying our affection 
we do not destroy it; on the contrary, we ennoble 
and strengthen it. 

But to succeed in this we must not be afraid of the 
cost, and avail ourselves of every opportunity af- 



388 APPENDIX 

forded us in Keligion. We must not wish or try to 
see our [Relatives, even on the plea of doing them 
good, which is mostly a self-illusion or a deceit of 
Satan. We should not allow ourselves to worry 
about their temporal interests, convinced that we 
have left them in the care of our most Loving Father 
in Heaven. If we receive letters, let us mortify our 
curiosity for a while, a few hours, a day or two, and 
before reading their communications let us beg our 
Lord for the grace not to be mastered by our feelings. 
We must likewise practise moderation in writing let- 
ters. It is a good plan for Religious to write to their 
Relations only at fixed intervals; once, twice, four 
times, or six times a year, in proportion to the close- 
ness of the kinship. 

But what has meanwhile become of the Soul after 
this Threefold Separation, from the Body, from 
earthly Goods, and from Friends and Relatives? It 
has entered upon a new and unchangeable phase of 
its never-ending existence; it has stood in the pres- 
ence of the All-Holy, Almighty, Inexorable Judge; it 
has seen in one intellectual flash all the good omitted 
and all the evil committed; it has been called to a 
strict account for every word and action, for its most 
transient thoughts as well as for its most hidden de- 
sires, for the use of every natural gift and every super- 
natural favor bestowed on it during this earthly 
period of probation ; and it has already heard the Di- 
vine, Irrevocable Sentence that will fix its future 
lot for all Eternity, either in Heaven or in Hell. 
There will be no room for defense, no call for explana- 
tion, just as there will be no plea for mercy, no appeal 
for pardon. Every sin not atoned for here below 
shall receive its full measure of punishment, and the 
whole debt will have to be paid till the last farthing. 



DEATH 389 

Such is the Particular Judgment that will be passed 
upon us at the very moment of our Death. 

Second Point. The Characteristics of Death. 

Death is most Certain as to Fact. All men with- 
out exception are to die; either in the ordinary way 
through sickness, or in some unusual way, through 
accident. Many people nowadays boast that they 
will not accept anything as a fact unless proved by 
actual experience; yet, though nobody now living 
ever had the actual experience of Death, every one 
holds it for Certain that he is going to die. No man 
ever dreamed of being kept alive indefinitely by some 
unknown forces of nature, though these are credited 
even with the working of miracles. Within a few 
years, then, the sixteen hundred millions that now 
inhabit the earth, will all have passed away. 
Whether rich or poor, learned or ignorant, talented 
or dull, savage or civilized, good or bad, every one 
has got to die. Yet many live as if they were by no 
means convinced of this fact. They have good reason 
to tremble at the very thought of Death, and hence 
they try to drown its salutary admonitions in dis- 
tractions and frivolities. 

Let us be more sensible, and daily prepare for 
Death with the utmost diligence. Every indisposi- 
tion, every infirmity is a warning of our impending 
dissolution. The Sentence of Death was passed on 
Adam and all his descendants by Almighty God. 
Our own sins too, even our venial sins, have fully 
deserved this punishment. This is why St. Paul 
writes to the Corinthians that many sleep, are dead, 
on account of their irreverent and unbecoming con- 
duct in church. Let us accept Death even now in 
atonement for our sins, let us humble ourselves be- 



390 APPENDIX 

neath the chastising hand of God, and let us strive to 
conform our Death as closely as possible to that of 
our Adorable Lord and Savior. 

But Death is most Uncertain as to Circumstances. 
Death comes oftenest as a surprise; even very sick 
people usually fail to realize that their end is so near. 
Hence our Lord tells us that Death will come upon 
us as a thief in the night. The when, the where, and 
the how of our death, are completely hidden from our 
view. We do not know anything about the time, 
place, and manner of our departure from this world. 
How dreadful! To this truth there is but one ex- 
ception. There is one important circumstance which 
we can foresee with a fair amount of probability, al- 
most with certainty. It is whether a person is going 
to die in the State of Grace or in the State of Sin. 
For, both reason and faith tell us plainly, "As a 
man lives so shall he die." Consequently, if we wish 
to die in the friendship of God, we must exert our- 
selves never for a moment to trifle with a temptation 
to grievous sin. If we want to die with a prayer on 
our lips, we should pray often and fervently dur- 
ing our daily occupations. If we wish to die with 
the Sacraments, the surest way is to receive Holy 
Communion as far as we can every morning, with the 
best possible preparation and thanksgiving. 

How grateful, therefore, we should feel for having 
been called to Religion, how highly should we esteem 
our holy Institute ! How pleasant it is to live in the 
convent, and how safe to die! For there every help 
is afforded to persevere in Sanctifying Grace, there 
every opportunity is given for the practice of Prayer, 
there every facility is found for the frequent and 
fervent reception of the Sacraments. Since we wish 
to die in the company of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, 



DEATH 391 

let us constantly live in their close imitation and lov- 
ing intimacy. This, indeed, is the essence of the Re- 
ligious State. How awful it is to die in a doubtful 
condition, in a lukewarm disposition ; and how blessed 
it is to die in the Lord, in the consciousness of being 
united with Him on the Cross! 

But again, the Moment of Death is most Decisive. 
We die only once. Death is the great Crisis of our 
whole existence. On that one moment will depend 
everything forever after: the salvation or perdition 
of our Immortal Souls. Our last agony is not so 
much the beginning of the end, but rather the end of 
the beginning, the close of the initial period of our 
existence, the conclusion of our preparation for eter- 
nity. A bad Death can never be repaired. Hence, 
to insure a good Death, it is absolutely necessary to 
be always ready. Am I ready to die right now? Is 
there any Task I should prefer to have accomplished, 
any Resolution I should wish to have taken, any Sac- 
rifice I should like to have made? How would I 
spend the remaining months or days, if I were to die 
before the end of this year? With what fervor I 
would apply myself to Prayer and Penance; with 
what diligence I would practise Poverty, Modesty, 
and Obedience; with what energy I would attend to 
the subject of my Particular Examen. Yet I may 
die much sooner, even before the end of this month or 
this week, in fact within the next twenty-four hours. 

Third Point. The Preparations for Death. 

The most obvious Preparation we can make for a 
holy Death is habitual Fervor. Even at the best, life 
is but all too short. Hence we should be watchful 
not to lose one single instant. We ought never to 
devote more time to sleep or rest or recreation than 



392 APPENDIX 

really indispensable. From the moment we awake, we 
should strive to give ourselves entirely to God, in senti- 
ments of adoration, contrition, confidence, and love. 
Day after day we must exert ourselves by means of 
the General and Particular Examens to root up all 
our defects; to purify our heart completely from 
every venial sin, from every inordinate affection, from 
every worldly folly; and thus to inflame it more and 
more with a sincere and ardent love of God and men. 

Confession also is an excellent Preparation for 
Death, provided we labor to make it every time as 
well as we can, not so much by searching the inmost 
recesses of our soul — which ought rather to be done 
in our daily Examinations of Conscience — but es- 
pecially by conceiving real and deep confusion 
blended with fervent and practical contrition. While 
carefully shunning all scrupulosity we should persist- 
ently strive to acquire greater delicacy of conscience, 
which means a more thorough detestation of sin, 
inordination, and worldliness. To this it will help 
very much if we earnestly seek to expiate our past 
faults by every means in our power ; not only eagerly 
accepting the little trials and hardships sent us by 
God, and gladly embracing the opportunities of pen- 
ance that come in our Daily Duties and Eeligious 
Exercises, but generously adding to the customary 
acts of mortification some special practices according 
to the advice or with the permission of our Confes- 
sor or Superior. 

However, the best Preparation for a happy Death 
is frequent reception of Holy Communion, since it 
constitutes a Divine Pledge of Everlasting Life. 
Unless we are positively prevented by circumstances, 
we should not allow a single day to pass without par- 
taking of this Heavenly Banquet. However dry, 



DEATH 393 

drowsy, or distracted we may feel, we should never 
hesitate to approach the Holy Table as long as, not 
conscious of a grievous fault, we are desirous of ad- 
vancing in the service and love of God. An intense 
hunger springing from a vivid realization of our 
manifold shortcomings, and a boundless trust arising 
from a lively faith in this Adorable Mystery, — these 
form the chief dispositions with which we should 
strive to welcome our Heavenly Guest. It is in par- 
ticular this Divine Sacrament that will enable us to 
die to ourselves and will render our physical Death 
more peaceful and more meritorious. " Blessed are 
they that die in the Lord." These words of Holy 
Writ will apply literally to us if, every time we pre- 
pare for Communion, we take care to do so as though 
it were to be our Viaticum. 

Colloquy: first with St. Joseph, patron of a holy 
Death in the tender embrace of Jesus and Mary ; then 
with the Blessed Virgin, our Mother, whose Death 
was the effect of her most ardent love; and lastly 
with our Adorable Savior on the Cross exclaiming, 
" Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit." — 
Our Father. 



BOOKS RECOMMENDED 

— for — 

RETREAT READING 

Christian and Religious Perfection Rodriguez 

Directorium Asceticum Scaramelli 

Helps to a Spiritual Life Schneider 

Interior Life Tissot 

Interior of Jesus and Mary Grou 

Jesus All Good Gallerani 

Jesus All Great Gallerani 

Jesus All Holy Gallerani 

Progress in Prayer Caussade 

Religious Life and the Vows Gay 

Retreat Bishop Hedley 

Spirit of Sacrifice Giraud 

Spiritual Despondency and Temptations Michel 

Thoughts and Affections on the Passion Bergamo 

Thoughts on the Religious Life Lasance 

Three Fundamental Principles Meschler 

True Spouse of Christ St. Alphonsus Liguori 

Union with Our Lord Jesus Christ Saint- Jure 



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